Belle Du Nord for 1000 Guineas

Connections of the surprise two-year-old, Belle Du Nord, have high hopes the filly can scale even greater heights next season.

The daughter of Reliable Man enjoyed a light, but highly successful opening campaign and was turned out off the back of a runner-up finish in the Group I Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes.

‘‘She’s spelling and she’ll come back in June and we will be looking toward the 1000 Guineas at Riccarton with her,’’ said Emma-lee Browne, who trains the filly with husband David.

‘‘She’s done a great job and we didn’t even think she would make a two-year- old, but she improved every time and thrived.’’

Ja Ja Binks was another to make impressive progress with three wins from her seven starts and a Listed placing in last month’s Listed Flying Handicap at Awapuni.

‘‘She’s gone for a spell and we probably pushed her a bit toward that last race, but she got black type so that was great,’’ Browne said.

‘‘We’re looking forward to the future with her and she doesn’t like the cut out of the ground so we’ll wait for the summer racing.

‘‘Next preparation we will probably stretch her out a bit further to a mile.’’

Ja Ja Binks won two of her four starts during her summer preparation and the four-yearold then downed the highly-regarded Julius at Ellerslie when she opened her autumn campaign.

She picked up a minor placing next time out before gaining an all-important stakes placing at Awapuni when she split the southerner Maybe Miami and the Group One performer El Pescado in the Flying Handicap.