Diplomatic Strike scored a ground-breaking victory for Eliza Park at Kranji on Friday night.  The Bel Esprit gelding became the first winner to salute in Singapore under the Eliza Park banner.

With Eliza Park owner Leigh Fleming in attendance, Diplomatic Strike equalled the course record clocking 1.05.30s for 1100 metres in the $75,000 Class 3 Stakes.

Bel Esprit has sired 131 winners at an outstanding 59% strike-rate.  Five of those winners have been in Singapore including G3 winner Mooring who reached that level in the 3YO Challenge in June.

Diplomatic Strike (5g Bel Esprit – Mill Lady by Straight Strike) was originally trained by Mick Price and was a winner at Mornington and Yarra Glen before heading to the Singapore stables of Stephen Gray.

“He was specifically picked to come up here and race under our banner,” Eliza Park’s Asian representative Lyle Plumb said.  “Stephen thought he had a real good chance and that’s why Leigh came up here tonight.”

Bel Esprit (Royal Academy) was a G1 winner of the Blue Diamond Stakes and Doomben 10,000 before retiring to Eliza Park in 2003.  His fifth and largest crop is being prepped for the 2010 majors.

Bel Esprit was the recipient of a huge book of 266 mares in 2007 when E.I. prevented Victorian mares from travelling to the Hunter Valley.

The first of those yearlings will be offered at the 2010 Gold Coast Magic Millions.  First cab off the rank is the filly from Scenic mare Dark Star (Lot 171). She is part of the Kitchwin Hills draft and is from a half-sister to the Perth stakes winners Mobile Link, Papillion and Society Miss.