Five stakes wins for Babylon

15 Nov 2023

She was a Group 1 bridesmaid three times last summer, twice behind Melbourne's new sprint queen Imperatriz (I Am Invincible), and Babylon Berlin is back with a vengeance this spring.

 

Last seen finishing seventh in Imperatriz's Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley in March, Babylon Berlin (All Too Hard) returned with a stylish win in the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m) at Te Rapa on Saturday. Carrying the top weight of 59kg, Babylon Berlin was slow to begin and uncharacteristically settled behind the leaders, before seeing clear air at the 300m and cruising to the line to win by half a length from the fast-finishing Maven Belle [NZ] (Burgundy).

 

The victory was her eighth, the fifth at stakes level, with a further 12 placings and NZ$569,000 to her name. Trainers Ben and Ryan Foote confirmed the six-year-old mare will target New Zealand's major sprints in January - the Gr1 Railway Stakes (1200m) on New Year's Day and the Gr1 Telegraph Stakes (1200m) two weeks later. She finished second to Imperatriz by 0.2L in the 2023 edition of the Railway and second by 0.4L to Levante [NZ] (Proisir) in the 2023 Telegraph.

 

Bred by Scott Williams, Babylon Berlin was foaled and raised at Willow Park, before travelling to New Zealand as a yearling. She is the final foal from the unraced mare You Can't Say That (Fusaichi Pegasus), who also produced triple stakes winner Darci Be Good [NZ] (Darci Brahma). Babylon Berlin is just one stakes win behind her six-time stakes winning granddam What Can I Say [NZ] (Khozaam), who counted the now-Group 1 Warwick (Winx) Stakes (1400m) among her eight wins.