Owner-breeder Neville Bell has identified promising three-year-old Hazard Bay as the horse to fly the flag for his revived commercial breeding venture.
Hazard Bay will tackle city company for the first time in the Goulburn Valley Handicap (1200m) at Doomben on Saturday.
He stunned punters when he romped home by three lengths at his only run at Caloundra when he started $31 with bookmakers but paid $101 on the Queensland totalisator.
“I don’t know why he was those odds as he’d run a nice third in a trial and won an unofficial jump-out by six lengths,” trainer Stuart Kendrick said.
Hazard Bay is raced by Bell and his wife Mary who own Kilto Park Stud at Caboolture near Brisbane.
Bell was a part-owner of the 1999 AJC Derby and Caulfield Cup winner Sky Heights and hopes Hazard Bay can return his stud to the limelight.
“My wife Mary and I bred Hazard Bay by putting the mare Babinda Belle to our then-sire Ombra Della Sera who we have since retired,” Bell said.
“But we have a winning full sister to him named Queen Of Georgia and an unraced half brother by sire Drum Beats with Stuart (Kendrick).”
Bell has gone back into commercial breeding this season and is standing the first season sire Chosen To Fly at Kilto Park.
“Chosen To Fly won eight races including three at Flemington and at Doomben and Eagle Farm. He is the ideal QTIS stallion,” Bell said.
“We put Babinda Belle to him last week so we hope the resulting foal will attract plenty of interest if Hazard Bay and co can keep winning.”
Kendrick will have a strong hand in Saturday’s race as he will also saddle up smart three-year-old Thief Of Hearts who ran second in a Listed race at his only start in May.
If Thief Of Hearts races well at Doomben he will head to Melbourne, most likely for the Carbine Club Stakes at Flemington on Victoria Derby day.
