Pencarrow Racing’s Belle Eclipse (Darci Brahma x Zino Belle) returned to her homeland with an impressive first-up victory in the $12,000 NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1200m) at Otaki on Tuesday.

The four-year-old mare is registered for the Pearl Series and with Tuesday’s win has claimed the Pearl Bonus (Level B) of $11,500, in addition to the $7,500 she earned from the stake.

This was Belle Eclipse’s first start for trainers Steven Ramsay and Julia Ritchie having been trained by David Hayes and Tom Dabernig in Victoria last season as a three-year-old. A winner of two races from seven starts, her first win came in her third start in Australia over 1406m.

Beginning from barrier 4 for rider Rosie Myers, Belle Eclipse raced one off the fence behind the leading pair. Improving on the home straight, the blue and white stripes challenged front runner Maxisstar (NZ) (Howbaddouwantit) to snatch the lead and drive to victory by one-and-a-quarter-lengths over Isola Bella (NZ) (Volksraad) and Maxssistar finishing in third.

The daughter of Darci Brahma, owned by Sir Peter Vela who bred her with Philip Vela, is out of stakes winning mare Zino Belle (Success Express), winner of the Group 3 Hawke’s Bay Gold Trail Stakes.

Zino Belle is also the dam of Silver Eclipse (Darci Brahma), a full-sister to Belle Eclipse, a stakes-winner in the Listed Pegasus Stakes last season.