Eliza Park champion Bel Esprit has started the current season where he left off in 2008-09 and his winning range extended to Western Australia on Wednesday when he brought up a double at the Belmont meeting.

Bel Esprit has sired 15 individual winners since August 1 and his star performer is brilliant Melbourne based filly Black Caviar who won the Listed Arrow Training Stakes at Moonee Valley on August 22.  

Former Melbourne based colt Ibsen chalked up the first leg of the Bel Esprit double in Perth when he scored an all-the-way win in the Support Your Local TAB Hcp (1000m).

Ibsen (5g Bel Esprit – Scandinavia by Snippets) is a half-brother to the top-class sprinters Magnus (Flying Spur) and Wilander (Exceed and Excel).  He is also a half-brother to the dam of Black Caviar.

Trainer Adam Durrant reckons Ibsen has a future in WA.  “He is a lot more relaxed since being gelded.  Last prep everything was done at 100mph but he’s learned to settled in front and then quicken.”

Ibsen is raced by a partnership consisting of Contract Racing, DHK Investments, Nick Psaltis, Peter Anastasiou, Adam Sangster and Peter Sidwell.   He won a Bendigo maiden in February 2008 before transferring west late last year.  

Bel Esprit also sired The Package to win the Seafood In The Terrace Hcp (1400m) at Belmont.  Leading trainer Nev Parnham purchased him for $40,000 out of the Carbine Vale draft at the 2007 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale.

The Package (4g Bel Esprit – Sorella by Euclase) is out of a half-sister to the dam of the David Hayes trained Group 1 winners Niconero (Danzero) and Nicconi (Bianconi).

Hayes also brought up a double for Anastasiou yesterday when he prepared Egyptian Lova (Lonhro) to win the El Golea Hcp (1300m) at Sandown.