3 minute read
Trainer and jockey quotes after Bella Nipotina takes out the Giga Kick Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday.
Race Result:
1st: Bella Nipotina (C Maher & D Eustace/C Williams) - $10
2nd: Private Eye (J Pride/N Rawiller) - $2.70
3rd: Think About It (J Pride/S Clipperton) - $1.90F
Winning Time: 1:15.50 Last 600m: 33.56
Margins: Nose x 1¼L
The Giga Kick Stakes goes to Bella Nipotina in a thrilling finish!
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 4, 2023
The master @CWilliamsJockey delivers a peach for @cmaherracing. pic.twitter.com/IBaLFm17wm
Winning Trainer: Ciaron Maher & David Eustace (David comments)
On the mare: "I'm so proud of her and so pleased for the ownership group. We had a plan if she jumped to go forward, we didn't think there was a lot of speed in the race."
"Craig (Williams) rode her beautifully, she got the split just at the right time, if it was any later she wouldn't have got there.
"She has just been racing so well this prep and we came into the race really confident of her running a massive race because she had been building and building and building. The team have had her in great order, it's the best she has looked for a long, long time. It's a big thrill."
On her wet form: "It's quick ground out there, she won the Manikato (Stakes) very impressively last year on wet ground and she was probably billed as just a wet tracker but I think she proved that wrong this prep. She has had her foot on the till and she's got the job done."
On the Prizemoney: "Incredible prizemoney. It represents the quality of jockeys that are here and the quality of horses. We're on the seven o'çlock (flight to Melbourne) tonight together and that will either be very rowdy or it might change."
Winning Jockey: Craig Williams
On the win: "She walked in the yard and she just looked amazing today. Her performance last time I said would warrant that she'd run top four or five in The Everest, that's how good she was and we still only ran third."
"They came here to 1300m and we still draw a wide barrier. I've never ridden the 1300m start before so I rang a really good friend of mine, Rodney Quinn, and asked him what to do. And apart from giving me some heads up - I don't want to tell everyone what he told me, he said pray a little bit."
"But again, I can only do what I do as a jockey providing I have the horse and Bella Nipotina, I was lucky enough to win a Group One on her, very dominant, 12 months ago."
On running here: "The reason why she's up here is because of economics. She's already a mare with a Group One win and the prize money and the bonus she's had on offer is the reason why we made a business decision to come up here, not a racing historian position."
Again, I was very rewarded with my horse and the only reason Bella Nipotina is as good as what she is, is because of the people she has behind her."
On the mare: "Ciaron Maher, David Eustace and all their teams in Melbourne and Sydney, thank you very much for preparing her and again, without her guts and determination and ability, that's the reason why I'm getting interviewed (as the winner)."
