With a pedigree that would look right at home in any Golden Slipper, Snitzel filly Aurum Belle produced a blistering win in the Listed Supremacy Stakes (1000m) on one of Australia’s greatest racedays – just hours before the Arrowfield legend’s 2025 Golden Slipper winning daughter Marhoona notched up her second G1 in The Galaxy.
All eyes were on Sydney on Saturday, but Neville Parnham’s exciting filly is intent on making a few headlines of her own and started at the prohibitive odds of $1.35 in the juvenile feature, after a facile debut win.
She was untroubled to record her first black type victory at start two, rocketing into favouritism for WA’s version of the Golden Slipper, the historic Group II WATC Karrakatta Plate (1200m) to be run on April 25.
Ridden by Brad Parnham, Aurum Belle went straight to the front in the 1000m dash. Her rival, the promising Maschino colt He’s A Machino got caught wide in the early charge and stayed there throughout as the speedy All On Red (Doubtland) settled second and second favourite Snow Monkey (Trapeze Artist) travelled in behind on the rail.
Marcos (A Lot) missed the kick and had to expend effort making headway through the race but in reality the Supremacy Stakes was a one act affair from go to whoa.
Aurum Belle railed strongly into the straight as All On Red was burned off by the sustained speed. Parnham shook the reins and the Snitzel filly shot away by two lengths and held that margin comfortably all the way to the line. Snow Monkey came off the fence and ran on well into second with He’s A Machino sticking on valiantly another one and a half lengths away for third after his torrid run.
The time for the 1000m was a brilliant 57.92 and Aurum Belle was a class above.
In a nice irony, it was fifty years ago to the day that a great filly named Burgess Queen won the Supremacy as she blazed through her undefeated 2YO season, and she was out of a mare also named Aurum Belle!
Neville Parnham has a high opinion of his glamour youngster.
“She was pretty raw at her first appearance but she’s taken benefit from that, and I’m very confident there’s more improvement in her,” said the legendary trainer.
“We’ve planned to just tick her along until the Karrakatta. We’ll front up in a fortnight for the Gimcrack then on to that. I can’t see her running in the Sires, but we’ll probably have better races down the track for her at the end of the year.
“She looks like she is very exciting. I have no qualms whatsoever about 1200m. You can rein her in and she’ll relax, but as soon as Brad asks her she really finds.
“She’s won by two lengths and she’ll come on, but so will the third horse (He’s A Machino) He had a tough run and I think he’s pretty smart too – so a better run, a better barrier – that might bring them closer together but she is pretty exciting this filly.
“She has a few antics, she’s pretty full of herself but that’s because of the way I’ve mapped her campaign. She’ll get over that and not many two year olds break 58 so a good effort today.
“I think she’s a very good horse, we paid a lot of money for her but we’re getting the results.”
Aurum Belle advances her record to two wins from two starts and earnings of $112,340.
A member of Snitzel’s penultimate crop, the filly was a $750,000 Inglis Easter purchase for Parnham Racing / Ridgeport from The Chase and is the second foal from the top shelf I Am Invincible mare Dame Giselle.
Bred by China Horse Club Racing and trained out of the Snowden stables at Randwick, Dame Giselle won the $1 million Golden Gift at just her second race start, before winning the G2 Reisling Stakes on her way to a creditable seventh in Farnan’s Golden Slipper.
As a three year old she imperiously swept the first three legs of the prestigious Darley Princess Series with consecutive G2 triumphs in the Silver Shadow, Furious and Tea Rose Stakes.
In the first two she defeated the star Frankel daughter Hungry Heart who would go on to take the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes / ATC Oaks double later in the year.
The final leg of the series, the G1 Flight Stakes was won by the future champion Montefilia ( 4 x G1 winner, famously defeating Verry Elleegant in the Ranvet) with Hungry Heart second and another top G1 performer Vangelic beating Dame Giselle into fourth. That was a supreme crop of fillies.
Dame Giselle would go on to to place in the G1 Coolmore Classic, before retiring to stud duties at the end of her three year old season with five stakes wins and more than $1.3 million in career earnings to her name.
Her first foal, an Exceed And Excel filly was sold by The Chase for $1 million to Waterhouse/ Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds at Inglis Easter 2024. Named Exigent, she is yet to race.
A cracking Extreme Choice colt was Belle Giselle’s next foal – he was a $1.2 million purchase for Waller Racing / Mulcaster Bloodstock at MM Gold Coast this year
A full sister to Aurum Belle was born in August 2025, as the industry mourned the passing of mighty Snitzel that June.
Belle Giselle is now in foal to Zoustar.
Her dam Ballet Society (NZ) by Stravinsky won six races from twenty eight starts, including the G2 Kewney and Angus Armanasco Stakes at a mile. She also won twice at G3 level over sprint trips in Melbourne and Brisbane.
Dame Giselle was her sole stakes winner from eight named foals but every one of them was a winner.
Notably they included Dame Giselle’s half sister The Fairy’s Kiss (Elusive Quality) – dam of quality juveniles, the Merson Cooper Stakes winner Steal My Kisses (now owned by Widden) and the NZ bred G2 Taranaki 2YO Classic winner Ulanova (Santos) who sadly died while foaling a Zoustar filly for Yulong – thankfully, her little one survived.
Other progeny from Ballet Society include promising HK galloper King Oberon ( Divine Prophet) and winning daughters, the stakes placed Butter Blonde (Choisir) and Vidia ( Proisir) along with the latter’s full sister Valkyrian (Proisir) who is yet to race.
Butter Blonde is owned by Merricks Station and has a Justify colt which will be offered through the Vinery draft as Lot 240 at Inglis Easter.
He is the second foal from his dam – who has an unraced Blue Point filly, a weanling colt by I Am Invincible and is in foal to the sire of Golden Slipper hero Guest House, Home Affairs!
Back to Ballet Society – she produced only one other daughter, her last foal Mia Ballerina ( Cosmic Force), twice a winner and thrice placed from nine starts. Retained by China Horse Club, this young mare is yet to produce her first foal.
She was one of three stakes winners produced by her dam Centuria, a daughter of supreme broodmare sire Centaine. The others were WFA gallopers of the highest class, dual G1 winner Cent Home ( Lord Ballina) and his full brother Studebaker who won the G2 VRC Turnbull Stakes. Their full sister Lady Perpetuate had daughters go to stud.
This is a branch of legendary family 5-h coming through Centuria’s dam Winta by the Vieux Manoir grandson Ramsin, out of Vera Cruz, a daughter of Blue Hen Vali (Sunny Boy)
To Vieux Manoir himself, Vali foaled 3 x G1 winner and legendary sire Val De Loir who we revere in our part of the world as the second damsire of the great Zabeel (out of Lady Giselle by Nureyev (5-h) –
Vali’s daughter Valoris by Tiziano won the G1 1,000 Guineas / Epsom Oaks double.
Aurum Belle’s branch of this globally dominant family descends from taproot mare Simon’s Shoes through Carpet Slipper to Her Slipper (Tetratema) one of a number of half sisters who all founded important families of their own.
Aurum Belle is bred
Northern Dancer 5m,5m x 5m
Danzig 4m x 5m
Canny Lad 4f x 4f
Snitzel has a liking for Stravinsky – his dual G1 winning sprint superstar and successful sire Russian Revolution carries the cross as does the up and coming WA based sire Splintex, who also descends from a Centaine mare.
An interesting factor in this pedigree comes through Aurum Belle’s fourth dam Winta (FR)
She carried 4f x 3m inbreeding to the influential stallion Teleferique, through the closely related sires Le Haar and Cobalt, great grandson and grandson of Blue Hen Armoise respectively.
This is the female line of Snippets which descends from the Epsom Oaks winner Ghuznee, also Telerefique’s ancestress.
Century is a member of the wider 20 family which is also quite prominent in the damlines of Green Desert and Snitzel.
We’ll never not miss Snitzel, but his legacy powers on!
Breednet – Kat Webster – Sunday March 22