Baskerville trainer Ryan Bell and owners Albert and Julie Walmsley completed a hat-trick of victories in the $125,000 APG Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies when Liam Elliott drove Seaside Serenade to an effortless all-the-way victory at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Seaside Serenade, the $1.04 favourite, coasted to a two-length victory over the $10 second fancy All Out Of Aces to remain undefeated after four starts, netting the owners $88,222 in prizemoney after purchasing the filly for $35,000 after she had been passed in when failing to reach her reserve price of $30,000 at the 2025 Perth APG yearling sale.
Bell and the Walmsleys had combined to win the two previous Sales Classic events for two-year-old fillies with Copper Head Lady beating her stablemate Bettagetonpip in 2024 and Ma Petite Dame leading and winning from Wishing Belle last year.
Seaside Serenade was bred by Kevin Charles, and she is the second foal out of the Sportswriter mare Tenniele Erin, who won the Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies in April 2017. Tenniele Erin’s first foal Koojan has won at two of his first eleven starts and looks set for good career.
Early next year Bell and the Walmsleys will be looking forward to equalling the performance of trainer-reinsman Trevor Warwick and breeder-owner Mick Lombardo, who won the Sales Classic for two-year-old fillies four years in a row --- scoring with Concorde Lombo (1996), Tailamade Lombo (1997), Lombo Rapida (1998) and Lombo Quest (1999).
“Seaside Serenade is a mature filly who is on tired legs at the moment,” said Bell. “All week we have been keeping her nice and fresh, and she will now go for a spell.
“She will chill at home before I drop her off at Albert’s property in Success on Tuesday. She will stay there for four to six weeks, and then the plan will be for her to have four more starts as a two-year-old --- in a heat and hopefully the final of the $250,000 Diamond Classic (on August 7) and in a heat and the final of the $215,000 Westbred Classic the following month.”
Bell, Elliott and the Walmsleys completed doubles on Friday night when Franco Encore bounced back to his best form with an easy win in the APG, Industry Owned, Not For Profit Pace over 1730m.
Franco Encore, a New Zealand-bred five-year-old, was the $3.20 favourite who began speedily from the No. 4 barrier to burst to the front after 150m, and after an opening 800m of a casual 60sec. he sprinted over the final quarters in 27.5sec. and 28sec. to win by five lengths from $7 chance Hotly Pursued, with Tualou ($4) exploding from tenth with 50m to travel to finish a spectacular third.
“Franco Encore is starting to live up to what I’ve always thought he could be,” said Bell. “It was nice to get the slow sectionals early, and he will back up in the Pinjarra Cup on Monday when I don’t think he will disgrace himself.
“At home, he is now starting to cop the work better than ever, and he is starting to become the full package. He is not purely a frontrunner; he has good high speed and given the right circumstances he can come from behind.”
Elliott said that this was the perfect race for Franco Encore. “He has been crying out for a (favourable) draw, and has been racing without luck, bolting to the line with the plugs in.”
Albert Walmsley went on a buying spree at the APG standardbred yearling sale on Sunday when he outlaid $946,000 to purchase five fillies and four colts. He paid the top price of $200,000 at the sale to buy a full sister to Seaside Serenade, and he also spent $180,000 for a half brother to Hez The Boss, who won the Sales Classic for colts and geldings on Friday night.
Others prominent at Sunday’s sales included Jim Giumelli and Team Bond, with Giumelli parting with $533,000 to buy eight yearlings. Team Bond outlaid $355,000 for four yearlings.
