Déjà vu for Sulabella at Arawa Park

[Wandering Eyes]

Sulabella’s (NZ) (Proisir) love affair with Rotorua continued on Wednesday when the Ruakaka mare stormed home to record her sixth career victory in the Arawa Park Hotel Rotorua 1560.

It was a sense of déjà vu for trainer and part-owner Michelle Bradley, with the daughter of Proisir having won the exact same race a year prior.

Wednesday’s victory extended Sulabella’s perfect record at Arawa Park, and Bradley had a positive feeling about her chances when heading to the meeting.

“When I sat down this morning and looked back through her races, especially the one here last year, I thought she would be a good chance,” Bradley said. “Then I got on course and I thought it might be a bit wetter than she would have liked.”

But the footing proved to be favourable for Sulabella, who ran out a one length victor over Mister Roquette, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing, with her saddle slipping with 800m to go.

“I don’t know if it is unfortunate or fortunate that her saddle slipped when she got going at about the 800m,” Bradley said. “But it was a great result, I am really happy.”

Bred by Highline Thoroughbreds’ Cam and Eva Heron, Sulabella was offered through their 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 2 Yearling Sale draft where she was purchased by Bradley for $12,000.

The Herons retained shares in Sulabella, and while she has been a work in progress, the trio have been rewarded with half a dozen wins to date, with earnings north of $110,000.

“I quite liked her at the yearling sales when she went through. She was only a little filly, but I quite liked her,” Bradley said.

“She has had a couple of issues. We didn’t think she was going to get back to the races and Cam and Eva spent quite a bit of money and time on her as a young horse and we got her back into the stables, and we haven’t looked back.

“She has won six races now, which is six more than a lot of horses. They might not be the biggest of races but it’s great to get good results and see her running well.”

Bradley said Sulabella can be a bit of a handful, so to get the win on Wednesday was rewarding.

“She is not the easiest horse to ride and I have got to ride her every morning,” she said. “It is great to get a result out of a horse like that, who is hard work.”

Sulabella has a liking for wet tracks and Arawa Park, and Bradley said she will likely make the long trek south to Rotorua once more in a few weeks to try and extend her golden run at the track.

“She was really looking forward to the step up in distance and she likes Rotorua,” Bradley said. “She will probably look at coming back here in two-and-a-half weeks and maybe stay at the same distance, but I would like to get her up to 2000m at some stage.”

With Sulabella being a full-sister to Group Two winner Bourbon Empress and Group Two performer Pimlico, the broodmare paddock is beckoning the rising seven-year-old, however, Bradley would love to add a few more wins to her tally before then.

“She is a full-sister to Bourbon Empress. She doesn’t have to do much when she has got good breeding behind her as well,” Bradley said.

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