O’Dea finally gets his jewel at Ipswich

Trainer Steve O’Dea is tipping Jeweliana to be even stronger over longer trips.

Steve O’Dea missed out on training the first two foals of Bianca Jewel and wasn’t about to let it happen a third time.

The former smart race mare won five races including two in stakes class when she was trained by O’Dea about 10 years ago.

At stud, Bianca Jewel has had two foals to race – You Made Me Smile and Jewel of The Crown – who have been trained in Sydney.

O’Dea has been a long time trainer for Bianca Jewel’s owner, north Queensland farmer Joe Rapisarda, and decided to ask him if he could have the third foal.

She turned out to be Jeweliana ($7.50) who won the Sirromet Bundamba Plate (1100m) at Ipswich on Saturday.

“I was keen to get my hands on her because she is by (sire) All Too Hard and I like the breed,” O’Dea said.

“She has won both her starts as a two year old now but I think there are better things to come.

“I am sure she will be more than handy over longer trips.”

O’Dea said he had lost count of the winners he’d trained for Rapisarda but said it was probably in the dozens.

Sugar Boom($7.50) went with a 1/2 length of giving jockey Jim Byrne a comeback win after she shared the lead for most of the way.

Favourite Karaja ($2.35) was slow to begin but made up good ground to be third a long head behind Sugar Boom.