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Bella and Lachie star on action-packed day at The Parks

Bella Vella was brilliant, jockey Lachie Neindorf had a career-best day, and two of his colleagues were also prominent during an action-packed day of racing at Morphettville Parks on Saturday.

The nine-race card was highlighted by Bella Vella’s brilliant win in the Listed Hills Lightning Stakes (1000m), when the Will Clarken-trained five-year-old mare led throughout to score comfortably.

The win was the middle leg of a treble for Neindorf and also his first Black Type winner. The ride only came about after Adelaide’s leading jockey, Todd Pannell, was involved in a fall earlier in the day. Pannell had already landed the first two winners: Grandslam for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace in the 2YO opener over 1250m, and Adatto for Michael Hickmott in the TAB Country Cup over 1950m.

Bella Vella could now tackle a race during the upcoming 2020 Adelaide Autumn Racing Carnival, which steps up this Saturday with two Group 3 races and a Listed event at Morphettville.

The Hills Lightning Stakes also marked the Adelaide return of locally trained Bold Star, who showed he is on track for the Group 1 Furphy Goodwood (1200m) on May 16 with a solid fourth carrying the top weight of 62kg.

Due to coronavirus measures, the Hills Lightning Stakes was transferred from its regular Oakbank Easter Saturday programming slot to Morphettville Parks, but Oakbank-trained Kabini – prepared by Barry Brook – still performed well, belying its long starting price to run an excellent second.

Elsewhere on the card, the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Diplomatic Measure scored its second win on SA soil as a Dare to Dream runner, providing a big thrill for connections, who were watching on TV. Diplomatic Measure won first up at the Port Lincoln Cup carnival, before a solid second at Morphettville Parks on March 28.

And star apprentice Kayla Crowther continued her winning run by nailing the daily double, taking race 8 on Phillip Stokes’ promising three-year-old Sepoy filly Seemingly Discreet and race 9 on veteran Lucky Flipper.

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