Former Kiwi Bella Montagna claimed a deserved metropolitan success when landing the Ranvet Handicap (2400m) at Rosehill on Saturday for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
Given a perfect ride by Josh Parr, the four-year-old daughter of Belardo overcame barrier 12 to find the fence midfield and tracked into the race effortlessly on the rain-affected track, going on to score by a length and a half from Forbidden Riff and Bestower.
The victory continued the good partnership between stable and rider, with Parr successful on his past three rides for Waterhouse and Bott.
“It was a perfect setup for her today,” Parr said. “I was filled with confidence by the stable this morning and 2400m on rain-affected ground, she was licking her lips.
“I ended up in a really good spot from a bad barrier and she travelled really well and there were horses that were under pressure a long way from home. It was the perfect scenario for me as I could wait for the gaps to open before I asked for an effort.
“It was just a push-button easy ride and it is the third one of the week that Tim Clark has handballed me, so I might owe him a favour or two.”
Bella Montagna was the only ride of the day for Parr, whose other carded rides were scratched on the downgraded Heavy 8 surface.
Originally prepared by Darryn and Briar Weatherley in New Zealand, Bella Montagna joined the Waterhouse and Bott stable as a maiden but she had finished runner-up in the Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m) won by Real Class just over 12 months ago.
By Belardo out of a So You Think mare, Bella Montagna is a graduate of New Zealand Bloodstock’s Book 2 Yearling Sale where she was presented by Haunui Farm and originally purchased by David Archer’s Archer Equine Investments Ltd for just $25,000.
Sold privately after five starts in New Zealand, Bella Montagna sports the colours of Mt Hallowell Stud and has two wins and four placings from 12 starts, with career earnings of A$211,746.