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I Am Belle scores on debut at Riccarton
Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • November 12th, 2025 4:00 pm
I Am Belle winning the Elmwood Trading Co. Two-Year-Old Premier (1000m) at Riccarton on Wednesday. Photo: Race Images South
Northern targets await promising juvenile I Am Belle following her debut victory in the Elmwood Trading Co. Two-Year-Old Premier (1000m) at Riccarton on Wednesday.
The daughter of I Am Invincible jumped away well under Central Districts hoop Bruno Queiroz and raced three-wide throughout. Race favourite Zaharias looked the obvious danger at the top of the straight, but I Am Belle showed her grit to get her nose in front at the 200m and maintained her advantage, running out a half neck victor.
I Am Belle placed in both of her trials prior to her debut performance and trainer Andrew Carston was pleased with her natural progression.
“I don’t like to rush them in trials, I like them to learn something, and I felt she had improved from her first trial to her second trial,” he said.
“She has taken a little bit and she is a very unassuming filly, she just does what she has to do, but there is something about her I really like.”
I Am Belle was purchased by Carston out of Woburn Farm’s New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft earlier this year for stable client Glenn Ritchie for $260,000.
Ritchie’s familiar silks featured prominently in this year’s $1 million Karaka Millions 2YO (1200) when the Carston-trained Miss Ziggy placed behind La Dorada, and I Am Belle has put herself in good stead for qualifying for next year’s edition with Wednesday’s $37,375 winner’s cheque.
Carston has a high opinion of I Am Belle and said a northern campaign is inevitable.
“She has taken everything in her stride and I imagine she will continue to do so,” he said. “We might have to venture north at some stage, work our way up the Island and see where we end up.”
Meanwhile, Carston was happy enough with stable and ownership-mate Miss Twinkle’s debut run for fifth in the same race, and he said she will take plenty of improvement from the run.
“She is still learning,” Carston said. “She had a sticky gate and I asked Matt (Cameron, jockey) to get her organised across the junction and she just lost touch, but she is still a filly to follow.”
