A chance buy at the Adelaide Magic Millions is starting to pay off for Kyneton trainer Neil Dyer with promising mare Belle Diva.A winner of three of her nine starts, the four-year-old has already returned three times her purchase price and is set to breakthrough for her first Melbourne win in Monday's Ahern's At Highways After The Last Handicap (1200m) at Sandown.Dyer said he had no intention of buying Belle Diva at the 2008 Adelaide sales and only ended up with the daughter of Bel Esprit after
A chance buy at the Adelaide Magic Millions is starting to pay off for Kyneton trainer Neil Dyer with promising mare Belle Diva.
A winner of three of her nine starts, the four-year-old has already returned three times her purchase price and is set to breakthrough for her first Melbourne win in Monday's Ahern's At Highways After The Last Handicap (1200m) at Sandown.
Dyer said he had no intention of buying Belle Diva at the 2008 Adelaide sales and only ended up with the daughter of Bel Esprit after noticing a familiar brand on her shoulder.
"I fluked her really," Dyer said.
"I went to the sale for a Testa Rossa filly who I bought the day before when this grey filly came in to the ring with the 84 brand."
The brand was identical to that on the shoulder of his headline horse of five years earlier Mrs. Bently who had come from the same home at Flower Hill Stud in South Australia.
From the four-time winning Star Watch mare Manly belle, Belle Diva cost only $15,000 and hopes are that she will become a stakes performer like Mrs. Bently.
Mrs. Bently won 13 races featuring six victories at Moonee Valley and a Kyneton Cup, and was stakes-placed three times including a third in the Stocks Stakes at the Valley.
Belle Diva launched her career with a 4-1/2 length win at Bendigo in September 2009 but was a timid and erratic filly who didn't like racing inside horses.
She also developed a habit of getting cast in her yard and as a result her race performances were adversely affected.
With time and maturity she has blossomed in to a fierce competitor with wins at Wangaratta and Morphettville at her first two runs this campaign in November, before a close second to La Bella Roo at Caulfield on December 15.
It has proven a strong form line with La Bella Roo beaten in a photo finish two days later under lights at Moonee Valley in a 100,000 race.
"She (Belle Diva) showed above average ability at her first start but she was pretty timid with horses around her," Dyer said.
"She also got cast a couple of times in her yard which put us a behind the eight ball a bit with little niggling injuries.
"She was a little bit erratic in the early days but she is a different horse now.
"We turned her out, gave her plenty of time, and she hasn't looked back.
"We are hoping she can go through her grades pretty quickly."