Bel Sorriso (NZ) Soars Beyond $5,000 Sale Price

Bel Sorriso (NZ) (Keeper) cost just $5,000 at the 2013 Select Sale, and after recording the eighth win of her career in Saturday’s $70,000 Group 3 Civics Cambridge Thoroughbred Lodge Thompson Handicap (1600m) she has earned more than 35 times that amount in prize-money.

The Grant Searle-trained mare is renowned for her lack of size, which she more than makes up for in quality and courage. Both were on show on Saturday when she came from near-last and dived through the pack to win by a long head.

Searle bought Bel Sorriso at Karaka and is immensely proud of her achievements.

“It’s always great when you’re winning, and this was a wonderful performance from her first-up,” he said. “She’s just an absolutely lovely mare. She tries so hard and gives you her heart and soul every time. They’re easy to train when they’re like that.”

She has had 23 starts for eight wins, five placings and $179,985 in prize-money. The Thompson Handicap was her first stakes win, but she had previously placed in the Group 3 Trentham Stakes (2200m).

Bel Sorriso was bred by Cambridge Stud’s Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan, and Cambridge Stud offered her in their 2013 Select Sale draft. She is raced by Ms A I Barr, W M Dempster, D S Radka and Mrs A Searle.