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Top southern mare Belle Miraaj will have even more size and weight to throw around this season.
“She’s been back a month and she’s ready to start speeding up again now,” Ascot Park part-owner and trainer Gay Robinson said.
“She grew again while she was out and she’s a really big girl now. I’m absolutely rapt with her, although she is going to need even more time to fully develop.”Close to 17 hands, Belle Miraaj showed last term that she had the talent to match her strapping frame with Listed wins in the Gore and Southland Guineas. She also placed in the Ray Coupland, NZ Air Freight and Warstep Stakes as well as the Dunedin Guineas.
When she stepped out at a higher level as a three-year-old, the daughter of Iffraaj performed admirably to finish third behind Platinum Witness in the Gr.1 NZ 1000 Guineas and she ran fifth to Savaria in the Gr.1 NZ Oaks.“She had a fairly long season, but she did have a few small breaks along the way,” Robinson said.
“She’ll have a trial when she’s ready and then she will run in her own grade before we pick a race at the New Zealand Cup carnival for her.“She’s probably going to have to travel again at some stage as there’s not that much down here for her, but she has proved she can cope as her effort in the Oaks showed. She’s got a great nature.”
Belle Miraaj has fashioned an outstanding record with five wins and five placings from her 11 starts for Robinson and her co-owner John Dooley.