Dunnett proud of the exciting Bellatrix Star

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

The G1 Coolmore Stud S. at Flemington on Derby Day beckons for Bellatrix Star whose win on Saturday had her rider Craig Williams excited.

“She took on some really seasoned horses today,” he told the press, “they were confident she could take them on and she delivered.”

“There is a lot to like about her,” he continued, “her mannerisms; she was bit cantankerous before the race and eager to get on with it.”

“She raced really well and was very effective late.”

The Te Akau stable's Ben Gleeson, assistant trainer to Mark Walker, was also delighted. “It was a bit step up for her and she's made that beyond belief.”

Thriving with racing

“She just thrives with racing,” he said, “every race, she just gets better and better. She deserves a crack at the Coolmore now and hopefully all the good colts and sprinters will go and bash each other up in the Everest!”

Bellatrix Star is the third foal produced by the lightly raced Alana's Party (Exceed And Excel) who displayed glimpses of ability during her three starts for Fairway Thoroughbreds and the Toby Edmonds stable.

Retired to stud in 2018 and purchased by Widden Stud for $30,000 at the Magic Millions Broodmare Sale, she produced as her first foal the Widden-bred Vinolass (Supido), a $20,000 Inglis Classic graduate. The Keith Dryden trained 5-year-old has had five starts to date; winning three in a row from the spring of 2022 till March last year.

Also bred by Widden Stud was Alana's Party's second born foal Country Dancer (Nicconi), a Hong Kong based $120,000 Classic yearling who trialled well as I'm Coming Up for the Patrick Payne stable before heading to Hong Kong where he has been in the placings for the John Size stable.

Picked up by her current connections; Dunnett along with Mark Pilkington and Peter Lord, for $17,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions, she was sent to Star Witness, Bellatrix Star the result.

Always the boss

Dunnett remembers the striking bay being a stand-out on personality from her early days.

“Once she was weaned she was the boss!” he said, noting that Alana's Party is not like that, describing her as a "gentle, placid mare.”

“Bellatrix Star was always kind and good natured but always very independent.”

And she caught the eye of Brent Thomson during a visit to Seymour Park, Dunnett present on that occasion.

“Brent asked 'who is that filly? I really like that type, I think she'd be perfect for Karaka.'”

“So on the back of Brent's advice we sent her to that sale. Phoenix Park sold her for us and Janine (Dunlop) did a fantastic job.”

“She went over there looking good but Janine really put a beautiful polish on her, which led to David Ellis, who has one of the best eyes in the trade, picking her out.”

Purchased at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale by Ellis CNZM (BAFNZ) and Fortuna Racing for $80,000, Bellatrix Star trialled so well prior to her debut at Wanganui in September last year that she was sent out an odds-on favourite, duly saluting in impressive fashion.

Rising through the classes

Moving her way quickly through the classes, taking out the G2 Eclipse S. at Pukekohe Park on New Year's Day, she made her way to Te Akau's Cranbourne stables and kicked off her Australian career with a fifth G3 Quezette S., finishing off nicely.

And she has not been beaten since, winning the Listed Cap D'Antibes S. at Flemington and the G3 Champagne S. at Moonee Valley leading into Saturday's success.

One which Dunnett was excited to witness, enjoying a day out with some of the filly's owners, noting that "she continues to take them on a magnificent ride and I was very fortunate to spend some time with them at Caulfield, they are just brilliant people.”

Dunnett thoroughly enjoys a day at the track, only venturing to the races (“I am not a big fan of crowds") when a horse he races or bred is competing.

He loves spending time with his horses; “there is nothing better than lying in a paddock with them, I'd do it every day if I could, if not for suffering from hay fever!”

So keen to overcome his affliction so that he could spend more time in paddocks, Dunnett “spent a fortune!” on a series of injections that unfortunately “did nothing.”

But it doesn't stop him visiting his horses as much as he can, combining his love of racing with his work in the printing trade.

“I actually retired once but thought I'd go mad,” he laughed, noting connections to the racing industry going well back.

“I owned book binding businesses and that included binding the race books, and a few books about racing as well,” he said.

A racing friendship via volleyball

Also a successful sportsman, representing Australia in volleyball, Dunnett was a team mate and friend of Enver Jusufovic (EJ), trainer of the recent G1 Memsie S. winner Pinstriped (Street Boss {USA}).

“When EJ started with horses I'd pop in and help out when I could,” he said, recalling happy times spent at the Greg Eurell where Jusufovic was working.

He remembers seeing horse floats arrive from various yearling sales, tags attached to them with their breeding and prices and he was fascinated.

“There were $10,000 horses and $100,000 horses and I couldn't see the difference, they all just looked like horses to me!”

“So I started to look into it, then more into it.”

So much so that he thought breeding a horse would be a good idea.

“I'd seen General Nediym at Eliza Park and loved him so I said to my mate Peter Lord that we should buy a broodmare for him.”

And for $10,000 the city placed winner Tidfish (Imperial Prince (Ire) was secured at the Inglis June Broodmare Sale, in foal to King Of Kings (Ire) with that foal winning a Terang maiden from just three starts.

To General Nediym she produced a filly purchased by Mark Pilkington for $36,000 at the 2005 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.

Multiplying chills

Named I Got Chills, she was lightly raced due to injury but she created a big impression during her short career; taking out the Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. at debut and at her next outing the Listed St Albans S. on W.S Cox Plate Day; both by wide margins.

Sadly she was to race only twice more but she did leave an impression on those who saw her race and an even bigger one on Dunnett; “it was a great launching pad into breeding and she will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Fast forward a couple of decades and Dunnett is in the ownership of 17 mares as well as owing shares and breeding rights in a few stallions such as Vinery Stud's Hawaii Five Oh, Widden Stud's Dirty Work and Aquis Farm's Lean Mean Machine.

Gallery: Stallions which Rob Dunnett has shares and breeding rights to

He is not looking to expand his broodmare band but he is seeking to improve it, noting that a few of his mares are “getting a bit long in the tooth.”

He likes to spread his mares around a bit, the 17 calling Seymour Park, Newhaven Park, Widden Victoria and Aquis Farm home.

He has a couple of criteria in regards to selecting broodmares; “firstly I want to utilize the stallions I have shares in and buy the right mares for them and secondly you have to take their commerciality into consideration.”

Student of pedigrees

Dunnett is a keen student of pedigrees, also keen to ensure that a mare is the right physical match for the stallion and one mating he is very excited about at present is that of Dundeel (NZ) and Alana's Party.

Missing to Dundeel last year, Bellatrix Star's dam is now in foal to that Arrowfield Stud-based proven stallion and Dunnett is looking forward to the result.

“He is flying and he really suits her on the types she has been producing. And on the back of the books he has been serving I think he is in for a really big 12 months.”

In the meantime Alana's Party has a 2-year-old showing potential; Royal Rendezvous (Royal Meeting {Ire}) back in work with Mark Walker having been gelded; “he was quite naughty!”

Showing enough to be aimed at Inglis feature races, Royal Rendezvous was purchased by Te Akau for $280,000 at this year's Inglis Premier Yearling Sale with Dunnett, along with Mark Pilkington, remaining in the ownership.

“When the buyer of one of my horses asks me if I'd like to stay in, nine times out of 10 I will,” Dunnett said, liking to show faith in his horses whilst also supporting “those who support me; I think that is really important.”

Alana's Party's yearling is a Nicconi colt who Dunnett says is a bit different to her previous foals.

“Bellatrix Star and Royal Rendezvous were both really nice yearlings, both very racey. But this colt has a bit more substance, he is a bit longer and a bit more muscular.”

It is undecided which sale the colt will go to, Dunnett hopeful that Bellatrix Star will continue to upgrade the page, so that “we can step it up a notch.”

Dunnett also bred another of Saturday's runners, the promising Nick Ryan-trained mare Material Dreams (Lean Mean Machine) who has won five of her 13 starts including the Listed HC Nitschke S. and who went close to the placings when an encouraging fifth in the G3 Northwood Plume S.

“She ran really well so it was a good day!”

“She is raced by great friends Greg and Jackie Lewis of Mitford Farm; they purchased 50 per cent of her dam Lincoln's Sunset from me and she has recently gone back to Lean Mean Machine.”

“I've retained her 2-year-old Rubick filly to race and she is with the McEvoy stable.”

Giving Dunnett plenty to look forward to, both short and long term.