A December double with half-sisters Magnificent Carat and Ghobella gave Bellbridge Park a boost building up to next month’s Perth Magic Millions.

Bellbridge Park’s Michael and Siobhan Campbell are prepping five yearlings for the Swan Valley Sale comprising colts by Long Leaf (2), Universal Ruler and Gingerbread Man plus a filly by Sessions.

Ghobella (6m Blackfriars – Black Carat by Lonhro) had been in the doldrums for Divitini Racing and trainer Steph Bakranich before sustaining a long run to win the $125,000 Westspeed Platinum Cup (2100m) at Ascot on December 23.

Sitting three-wide with cover back in the field, she was set alight by Jason Whiting at the 600m mark to defeat Holy Enchantment (Playing God).  It sent her earnings past $250,000 and, in hindsight, part-owners and breeders Livio and Renato Divitini were justified in knocking back a top bid of $40,000 when she was offered by Bellbridge Park (as agent) at the 2019 Perth Magic Millions.

“Livio will be happy and it takes a bit to make him smile,” Bakranich said tongue in cheek back in the enclosure.  “She was stepping up to 2100m for the first time this prep and Jason rode her perfectly.  She takes time to wind up and he knows she has to get going early.”

Magnificent Carat is a couple of years younger than Ghobella and is making encouraging progress as evidenced by a powerful first-up win in a Bunbury Class 1 Hcp (1016m) on New Year’s Eve.  She was a Northam maiden winner in June and sprinted through an opening in the straight like a seasoned galloper instead of a seven-start recruit.

“She’s off to a flyer and took full advantage of a 2kg claim,” Durrant Racing noted.  “It was a smart ride by our stable apprentice Brayden Gaerth!”

Magnificent Carat (4m Magnus – Black Carat by Lonhro) sold through Bellbridge Park (as agent) for $120,000 at the 2021 Perth Magic Millions.  Divitini Racing kept a share in a syndicate that also includes Adam Durrant, Oakland Park and Fred Fairthorne (Jnr).

The two mares are younger half-sisters to Nerodio (Playing God) who has won 11 sprints in 38 starts with earning of $635,000 to date for Divitini Racing and Bakranich.  All 11 have been at Belmont where the hard-knocking veteran has won to Listed level in the Beaufine Stakes and Belmont Newmarket.

Their dam Black Carat won at Albury and Benalla when based at Lindsay Park before the Divitinis sent her back to Justin Warwick for a farewell victory at Ascot.  She has a yearling filly by Playing God and a colt on the ground by Manhattan Rain.