The Will Clarken trained Beau Rossa ($3.90) scored his fifth win from only ten starts when he landed the Listed Lightning Stakes over 1050m at Morphettville on a testing heavy 10 surface.
The victory, which came in Beau Rossa’s first run since his unplaced finish in the Group 1 Goodwood in May, could not have been more emphatic coming by a decisive 3.30 length margin.
Jockey Todd Pannell had Beau Rossa scratching paint hard along the inside running rail in fifth spot in the early part. Pannell continued to save ground on the turn and the chestnut quickly moved past the horses to his outside on straightening to move into second place behind the front-running Esta La Roca, who had set the target from the break.
That soon became an uneven contest as Beau Rossa went past Esta La Roca with ease, already having the race won with one hundred metres still left to race to complete a very comfortable victory.
Parlophone ($17), who won last year’s Lightning Stakes made good ground late, coming from far back, but he was always only going to finish in second place at best once he had given Beau Rossa so much start. Esta La Roca’s effort was rewarded with third place.
The $3.60 Sportsbet favourite Dirty Thoughts was right on the speed early tracking Esta La Roca, but she failed to kick on with meaning over the final 200m and finished out of the placings.
“His action looked beautiful on cornering, you could clearly see he was getting through it (the heavy going),” Clarken told Racing.com. “He’s got a huge engine, that’s really helpful.
“He’s a different horse to most of mine that have come on the scene in the fact we bought him as a yearling, and he’s come through our system. I’m very proud that we’ve managed him very well.”
This win took Bella Rossa’s prize money earnings to $368 675 … with his biggest individual race prize money return coming in the Group 2 Tobin Bronze Stakes which he won in the run before the Goodwood.
Bella Rossa was one of three winners saddled by Clarken at Morphettville on the day.
Specialism (who won in his second start since transferring to the Clarken stable) and He’s A Balter (who completed a double and secured his third win from his last four starts) had saluted earlier in the day.
