Group 1 performer Blissful Belle was given a searching gallop at today’s Hastings jumpouts, winning a 1200-metre open heat by a wide margin and clocking a good time.

The Belardo mare was to have started in the Open 1300m race at last Saturday’s abandoned Hawke’s Bay meeting.

There were 12 heats at the jumpouts and they were held up against the running rail on the course proper, where the ground was rated a soft-5.

Course manager Bryce Mildon said he had put the Verti-Drain and another machine over the course since Saturday and was confident it had alleviated the slipping problem that led to Saturday’s abandonment.

Several Hawke’s Bay Racing officials were present at the jumpouts as well as New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing’s Chief Operating Officer Darin Balcombe. They made regular inspections of the track after each heat was run and the general consensus was the racing surface provided safe footing.

Seniors jockeys Jonathan Riddell, Kate Hercock and Kavish Chowdhoory along with last season’s champion apprentice Lilly Sutherland were among the riders who competed in the jumpouts, with Riddell saying the surface felt safe and rated the footing just on the worse side of good.

Blissful Belle contested the second of the two 1200m heats and was ridden out over the final stages by apprentice Jim Chung, winning by six lengths in a time of 1:12.91. She finished clear of her stablemates Rockburn and Lilly Laguna, with Matinee last of the four runners.

Blissful Belle included a third in the Group 1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) among a string of good performances last season.

Other good winners of the jumpouts included Debbi Harri and Makkaldee.

Debbi Harri took out a 1000m maiden heat, diving between runners in the last few strides to win by a neck and clocked a respectable time of 59.75s. She is a Vespa three-year-old in the John Bary stable who has recorded a third, a fifth and a sixth from three starts.

Makkaldee stretched out well over the final stages when winning the open heat over 1000m by a length from the John Bary-trained pair of Say I Do and Lonaghan.

Makkaldee hasn’t raced since finishing second over 2100m at Woodville in April and looks ready to resume again for trainer Danny Champion.

RESULTS

Heat 1 | TWO-YEAR-OLD 800m
Tivaci-Hurry 2yr-old filly (L Sutherland) 1, Savachi Boy 2, Shocking 2yr-old gelding 3. Five starters. Margins: 1 length, ¾ length. Time: 50.16s. Winner trained by Guy Lowry & Leah Zydenbos, Hastings.

Heat 2 | MAIDEN THREE-YEAR-OLD 800m
Porters Way (C Lindsay) 1, Sneaking To Win filly 2, Savabeel-English Rose gelding 3. Four starters. Margins: Nose, 8 lengths. Time: 49.44s. Winner trained by Fred Pratt & Caitlin Johnson, Hastings.

Heat 3 |  MAIDEN 800m
Can Johnnybegood (J Chung) 1, Vaporize 2, Contributer-Mizene Peak 4yr-old mare 3. Four starters. Margins: ½ length, 1-1/4 lengths. Time: 47.09s. Winner trained by Fred Pratt & Caitlin Johnson, Hastings.

Heat 4 | MAIDEN 800m
Rockstockin Barrel (J Chung) 1, Darci Brahma 3yr-old filly 2, Nakajima 3. Four starters. Margins: Long neck, long head. Time: 46.77s. Winner trained by Fred Pratt & Caitlin Johnson, Hastings.

Heat 5 | OPEN 800m
Bedtime Story (L Sutherland) 1, Free Bee 2. Two starters. Margin: 1-3/4 lengths. Time: 47.25s. Winner trained by Guy Lowry & Leah Zydenbos, Hastings.

Heat 6 | MAIDEN THREE-YEAR-OLD 1000m
Time Changer (K Hercock) 1, Mongolian Khan-Lily The Pink gelding 2, Shezzacrusher 3. Five starters. Margins: Nose, ½ length. Time: 1:01.75. Winner trained by Patrick Campbell, Hastings.

Heat 7 |  MAIDEN 1000m
Red Grande (K Chowdhoory) 1, Little Miss Muffet 2, Turn Me Loose 4yr-old gelding 3. Five starters. Margins: 1 length, ½ length. Time: 59.89s. Winner trained by Fred Pratt & Caitlin Johnson, Hastings.

Heat 8 | MAIDEN 1000m
Debbi Harri (J Chung) 1, Detrimental 2, Presstissimo 3. Four starters. Margins: Neck, 1 length. Time: 59.75s. Winner trained by John Bary, Hastings.

Heat 9 | OPEN 1000m
Makkaldee (K Hercock) 1, Say I Do 2, Lohnagan 3. Three starters. Margins: 1 length, ¾ length. Time: 59.63s. Winner trained by Danny Champion, Waipukurau.

Heat 10 | OPEN 1000m
Wish Me Well (K Hercock) 1, Our Boy Zac 2, Anushka Shesastar 3. Four starters. Margins: 1 length, ½ length. Time: 1:02.00. Winner trained by Danny Champion, Waipukurau.

Heat 11 | MAIDEN 1200m
Written Up (C Lindsay) 1, Zaravela 2, Moussaka 3. Five starters. Margins: 1 length, long head. Time: 1:14.12. Winner trained by Dean Howard, Hastings.

Heat 12 | OPEN 1200m
Blissful Belle (J Chung) 1, Rockburn 2, Lilly Laguna 3. Four starters. Margins: 6 lengths, 1-1/4 lengths. Time: 1:12.91. Winner trained by John Bary, Hastings