Impressive filly rings city bell for first win

Trainer Danny O'Brien unearthed another potential top liner in That Rings A Bell at Sandown on Wednesday.

Having just her second race start, the So You Think filly backed up her encouraging debut and her $1.30 starting price to career away to win by a widening four lengths in the 1400m event.

O'Brien said the lightly raced three-year-old had taken a while to mature, but his owners patience looks like being being repaid given the strength of her two race performances.

"She is a matured into a beautiful big filly, but as a two-year-old she was all legs and we kept having to tip her out as it wouldn't have been fair to her if we pushed on," O'Brien said.

"What you see now is a horse that has grown into herself and it can't be more exciting to see what she has done at her first two trips to the races as the penny hasn't dropped totally."

The filly stalked the leader for Nicholas Hall and when asked to accelerate, dropped her rivals cold. She charged clear to win the 1400m maiden by four-and-a-quarter lengths eased down with ears pricked.

That Rings a Bell was a modest $45,000 Magic Millions Book Two purchase for her trainer from the Widden Stud draft and is the second winner for Cinnamon Bells, a full-sister to former very smart Group 2 winner Catechuchu.

O'Brien trained the mare's other winner, Cincinnati (by Sebring), and he said he expected this filly to get out in trip later in her career as her half-brother was able to win up to 2200m.

Pic by Racing Photos