Quokka calling for WA’s Christian and his prized mare Bella Nipotina

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Perth’s new $4 million slot race captures the imagination of locals and interstaters ahead of inaugural running at Ascot on Saturday

Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) was always destined to run in a rich slot race – it’s just six months later than many people expected.

For proud West Australian Michael Christian, who is probably better known in his home state for his prowess on the football field than his racing exploits, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

On Saturday, Group 1-winning mare Bella Nipotina, who Christian bred with his wife Siobhan and brother Brad, will be a live hope in the inaugural $4 million The Quokka (1200m), the thoroughbred leg of Racing and Wagering Western Australia’s (RWWA) tricode Western Trilogy slot race series.

The mare could have continued her campaign on the eastern seaboard, potentially adding a second Group 1 to her glittering CV in the TJ Smith Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), but there was almost a sense of duty – and the lion’s share of $4 million – that saw Bella Nipotina and Christian head to Perth for the city’s big race, the richest to be run anywhere in Australia this weekend.

Trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, as well as Christian and co-owners Tim Porter and Mick Johnston, late last year linked with corporate bookmaker Ladbrokes, one of 14 Quokka slot holders to pay $200,000 each to participate, with the view of heading west with the mare.

Only months earlier, Christian and his ownership group had knocked back a place in The Everest (1200m) with Bella Nipotina, fortuitously in the end for slot holder James Harron and his partners as well as Christian and his partners.

Left without the soon-to-be Group 1 winner, Harron instead negotiated for three-year-old Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) to run in The Everest, the gelding causing a major upset in the $15 million race at odds of 20-1, while Christian’s firm ‘no’ also paid dividends with his Pride Of Dubai (Street Cry) mare a week later winning the Manikato Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), her first victory at the highest level.

A prominent figure in racing and breeding as the principal of Longwood Thoroughbred Farm in north east Victoria, Christian was born and raised at Busselton, 220 kilometres south of Perth, in Western Australia before his burgeoning Australian Rules football career took him to Melbourne in the 1980s and to a famous premiership win with Collingwood in 1990, the club’s first in three decades.

Christian played 82 games for East Perth across six seasons before joining Collingwood in 1987.

Having finished third first-up in the Black Caviar Lightning (Gr 1, 1000m) in February, Bella Nipotina was unplaced in the Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m) three weeks later, her dip in performance put down to, in part, the loss of jockey Craig Williams who fell in an earlier race, before running a superb race when runner-up to Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) in the William Reid Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).

It was enough to convince connections to press on to The Quokka, with the enormity of the race not lost on Christian.

“The attraction was to go back to Western Australia – although I’ve lived longer in Victoria than I did in Western Australia – and go back home to try and win this historic race. It’s a massive deal for the state, I think,” Christian told ANZ Bloodstock News.

“The concept is incredible, through the greyhounds and harness and thoroughbred industries, to put on these three slot races. 

“It’s going to put Perth racing in the spotlight, which it deserves to be, and we will take on some exceptional horses, including Amelia’s Jewel.

“I’ve got family coming to the races and a few friends, so it is really exciting to come back home and have a horse we hope is going to race really well and be very competitive.”

As so happens, Peter Walsh, the owner and breeder of The Quokka favourite Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni), is also a Busselton boy who was also an accomplished footballer, first for his hometown club before joining East Perth. 

While Christian ventured to Victoria to further his sporting career, Walsh headed to South Australia and played in a premiership for North Adelaide.

And the six degrees of separation doesn’t end there, either, with Christian’s brother Greg marrying Walsh’s cousin Linda.

Brad Christian still resides in Busselton and had the honours on Tuesday of drawing the barrier – a drama-charged event in itself. Brad excelled, drawing barrier six for the rising six-year-old mare Bella Nipotina.

Amelia’s Jewel initially came up with gate nine but when stewards ordered a redraw later that day, she came up with barrier 14 of 14, leaving an emotional Walsh to question whether to run his brilliant three-year-old in the inaugural race.

“This was a plan hatched with co-owner Tim Porter after he received an offer from Ladbrokes to run in the race. One of our key goals – we were offered a slot in The Everest last year but we deferred that – was to try and win a Group 1 with Bella and we achieved that in the Manikato,” said Christian.

“The offer came before Christmas and we locked it in. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, come back home to Western Australia and take on the best Western Australian horses and the other eastern states horses and try our luck. 

“We did it in 2017 with Fuhryk running second in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes, so hopefully we can go one better on Saturday.”

Paddock pair reach elite heights

Longwood Thoroughbred Farm’s Michael Christian and his wife Siobhan Miller can not only lay claim to The Quokka contender Bella Nipotina, but they also bred Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) and Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m) winner In Secret (I Am Invincible) in partnership with Segenhoe Stud.

In Secret and The Quokka favourite Amelia’s Jewel were raised on the same farm in the Hunter Valley before the former joined Godolphin and the latter headed west to trainer Simon Miller and owner Peter Walsh’s Amelia Park.

“Coincidentally, Peter O’Brien at Segenhoe put a tweet up (last year) because, of course, we co-bred In Secret with Segenhoe and Amellia’s Jewel and In Secret  grew up together at Segenhoe and were in the same paddock together,” Michael Christian said. 

“We had that common element and, to this day, they’re probably the two best three-year-old fillies in the country.”