Busy Bella gains deserved success at Killarney Already placed second and third on a couple of runs this month, Bella Colombia gained a deserved success in the Executive Helicopters Handicap at Killarney. A runner-up at Fairyhouse two weeks ago, the COR Racing Syndicate-owned five-year-old was a close-up third at Dundalk only last Sunday. The 85/40 favourite got the gaps when mattered this evening and came through late on under Sam Coen to score by a length and a half from 8/1 chance Jasmine Affanalis. Winning trainer Willie McCreery said, “That was grand. I declared because I thought the handicapper might throw us out of the 0-60s. “When we got drawn one I said we’d run her, I didn’t like to run her back so quickly. “I was talking to Billy (Lee) and I said that she’d been second and third and should we not try to claim off her. He said ‘yeah’ that it would be the best thing to claim off her. “Sam is great value for 5lb, he’s a good strong young fella. “He had to wait and I told him I’d rather have him losing by not hitting the front than by hitting the front too soon. He said when she hit the front, she pulled herself up again. “She’s in a good frame of mind. It’s more the heat and the travelling you’d be worried about at this time of year but she has a good constitution. “There is nothing for her for a week or two. The handicapper has her now so he’ll probably put he up 2lb for that!” Additional reporting by Gary Carson
