Le Choix to shine

It would be fitting for Le Choix to win Friday's Levin Classic, the promising three-year-old being our first Group One runner for Ballymore's new NZ partnership Chad Ormsby & Aleisha Moroney.

The pair have not been running the show for all that long but what a mark they have made on the New Zealand racing scene with an enviable strike rate of one winner in every 5.5 starters.

This success sees Ballymore currently equal eighth in the trainers' premiership and only recently Chad & Aleisha cheered home their first stakes winner, Savvy Dancer, sharing the prize in the Listed Ricoh Fielding Cup at Awapuni a few weeks ago.

"They are doing a great job," said proud dad Michael Moroney - "it has been a really good effort considering that they haven't really had that many runners."

Moroney is looking forward to cheering Le Choix on from Melbourne, confident that the son of Choisir can measure up in top company.

"He is still a bit immature," he said, "but his runs have been spaced and he presents well on Friday - hopefully Chad & Aleisha can get a Gr1 winner with their first Gr1 runner!"

Unbeaten from two starts to date, Le Choix, who may continue on to the NZ Derby has a Gr1 type pedigree. He is the first runner for the Melbourne city winner Genebel from the prolific "Belle" family that has produced such topliners as Tristabelle, Casey Belle, Dance Hero, Honey Belle, Asgard, Flying Tristram and Wolfe Dreams.