Bella Gioia’s target remains 1000 Guineas

Shaune Ritchie has taken responsibility for Bella Gioia’s below-par performance at Te Rapa.

The Cambridge trainer conceded he had left the filly underdone for the Group II Sarten Memorial, in which she finished seventh behind Ugo Foscolo.

‘‘She went okay, but we expected a little more and I’ve got to put my hand up. I left her a bit pretty, but that’s a problem I can rectify,’’ Ritchie said.

‘‘Five weeks between runs ended up giving her a testing task.

‘‘She missed a run at the Cambridge trials when they were cancelled and I was too kind to her.

‘‘Don’t get me wrong though, I didn’t walk away happy.

She was a minimum of two lengths below what she can do so we have to find those two lengths.’’

Bella Gioia will now continue on to her main target – the Group I NZ 1000 Guineas on November 12.

‘‘She pulled up really well after Te Rapa – we’ve got two and a-half weeks to go to Riccarton and a flight in between,’’ Ritchie said.

‘‘We’ll get her down there and work her on the beach to get some mileage into her and to get her back to her Gold Trail and Taupo form.’’

Bella Gioia beat subsequent stakes winner It’s Time For Magic at Taupo in August before she came from the tail of the field to finish a close fourth in the Gold Trail Stakes.

Meanwhile, stablemate Bee Tee Junior has to win at Ellerslie on Melbourne Cup day to accompany the filly south.

‘‘If he does then he’ll either run in the New Zealand Cup or there’s a Rating 85 over 2500 metres for him,’’ Ritchie said.

Meanwhile, the breeding game’s contrasting fortunes were again highlighted by Inglewood Stud’s long weekend of racing.

They had the misfortune of losing a highly-rated Zacinto youngster in a paddock accident before they welcomed the safe arrival of a sibling by Sacred Falls to Ugo Foscolo.

‘‘I watched that race and then I had to jump on the tractor and go out and bury the filly – that’s two sides of breeding,’’ stud general manager Gus Wigley said.

‘‘The Zacinto filly had that X-factor about her and I reckon she could have made $200,000 to $300,000 at Karaka.

‘‘It was a real shame and just a freak accident.’’

On a brighter side, Ugo Foscolo’s success kept alive the farm’s hopes of a dream Group I double for resident sire Zacinto at the upcoming New Zealand Cup carnival at Riccarton.

Ugo Foscolo will go into the NZ 2000 Guineas at the top of his game following his Te Rapa victory while the Inglewood-bred and owned Zigwig, who is trained by Wigley’s father Nick, remains on target for the NZ 1000 Guineas.