Champion jockey Hugh Bowman is delighted to have an agreement to ride New Zealand 1000 Guineas winner La Bella Diosa if she runs in the Arrowfield Kembla Grange Classic on Friday.
“I spoke to the owners while I was over there and gave them a commitment I would ride her when she came here. She looks a pretty nice filly and her win in the Surround (Stakes) showed she is right up to our fillies,” Bowman said
“It will be good to get on her at Kembla and I think at a mile she will be even better because she looks like staying a trip.”
Le Bella Diosa would be Bowman early Australian Oaks ride, but the path to her main Australian target could take an early detour after she won the Surround Stakes at her first Australian appearance last month.
That win took the So You Think filly’s record to five wins from seven starts and opened the option of going to the Coolmore Classic at Rosehill on Saturday.
“It is a Group 1 and after winning a Group 2 it makes some sense to go there,” co-trainer Mandy Brown said. “She is already a Group 1 winner at home and the idea of coming here early was to have her at her best from the Oaks and try and get some Aussie black type.
“She has already done that. The plan was always to go to Kembla but she surprised us with how she won at Randwick. We are going to put her in both races and make a decision where to go when we see the weight in the Coolmore and the barriers.”
La Bella Diosa would be the early favourite for the Kembla Grange Classic that attracted 25 entries, including Dawn Wall and Foxplay from the Chris Waller yard, last start winner Hussterical, Group 2 winner French Fern and Group 1-placed Faraway Town.
View the weights with full form & replays for Kembla Grange here