Modestly bred Bella Sofia got the better of the bluebloods Saturday to make the grade in this prestigious event for sophomore fillies. An 11 1/4-length debut romper at Belmont May 6, the dark bay settled for second after showing the way in a competitive running of the Jersey Girl S. downstate a month later. She bounced back, and paired up the 94 Beyer Speed Figure she earned on debut, when crushing first-level allowance foes by 6 1/4 lengths back at Big Sandy July 11.
Away on top from her wide draw, Bella Sofia stalked Bob Baffert-trained invader Illumination (Medaglia d'Oro) through an opening quarter in:22.84 before allowing Souper Sensational to sneak up the fence and briefly apply more pressure. The pacesetter shook free through a :45.70 half, but Bella Sofia sidled up to her right flank once again as they spun for home. The battle was brief, and Bella Sofia leveled off and kicked away in midstretch as Souper Sensational re-rallied for second and GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up and GI Acorn S. winner Search Results (Flatter) never seriously threatened in third.
“We just let [Luis Saez] ride her the way he wants to ride her,” said winning conditioner Rudy Rodriguez. “We drew a very good post and we're just thankful for the opportunity.
“I know we asked a lot. We're just happy to have her in the barn. The day she broke her maiden, she put everybody away impressively. She was training good. You know when you draw the outside, you pretty much just let the jockey figure out what they want to do. She broke better than anybody. I thought she was going to be out front when she broke that good. She was nice and comfortable and she was running very well for him and when he asked her, she was there for him.”
Saez said, “She broke perfectly. We were looking for that spot right there to sit and make a run into the stretch. She did it so well and so beautifully. She came through the stretch pretty smoothly. I knew [Illumination] had some speed, so the plan was to break from there, relax and make one move with her. She's a pretty nice filly.”
Saturday, Saratoga
LONGINES TEST S.-GI, $500,000, Saratoga, 8-7, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:21.54, ft.
1–BELLA SOFIA, 118, f, 3, by Awesome Patriot
1st Dam: Love Contract (MSP, $202,040),
by Consolidator
2nd Dam: Option Contract, by Forty Niner
3rd Dam: Infinite, by Majestic Light
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. ($20,000 2yo '20 OBSOPN). O-Michael Imperio, Vincent
Scuderi, Sofia Soares, Gabrielle Farm, Mazel Stable Partners,
LLC & Matthew J. Mercurio; B-Two Tone Farms (KY); T-Rudy R.
Rodriguez; J-Luis Saez. $275,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0,
$405,100. Werk Nick Rating: C.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Souper Sensational, 120, f, 3, by Curlin
1st Dam: Kateri, by Indian Charlie
2nd Dam: Sue's Good News, by Woodman
3rd Dam: Montera, by Easy Goer
'TDN Rising Star' ($725,000 Ylg '19 FTSAUG). O-Live Oak
Plantation; B-Newtownanner Stud (KY); T-Mark E. Casse.
$100,000.
3–Search Results, 124, f, 3, by Flatter
1st Dam: Co Cola (GSP), by Candy Ride (Arg)
2nd Dam: Yong Musician, by Yonaguska
3rd Dam: Alljazz, by Stop the Music
($310,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.;
B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $60,000.
Margins: 4 1/4, 1HF, 2. Odds: 4.20, 13.30, 1.60.
Also Ran: Always Carina, Obligatory, Illumination, Zaajel, Make Mischief. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
Pedigree Notes:
Bella Sofia cost just $20,000 at last year's pushed-back OBS July sale off a :10 2/5 breeze and completed a graded stakes double for that auction Saturday, scoring one race after $30,000 2019 graduate War Like Goddess (English Channel) impressed in the GII Glens Falls S.
She is the lone Northern Hemisphere stakes winner for Awesome Patriot (Awesome Again), who also has two Group winners, including one at the highest level, in Chile. A $350,000 yearling, GSP juvenile and stakes winner around two turns on synthetic for Bob Baffert, Awesome Patriot is a full-brother to GI Preakness S. winner Oxbow and is closely related to Paynter (Awesome Again), sire of Saturday's GI Whitney S. winner Knicks Go. He began his career in Kentucky, shuttled to Chile and appears to have most recently stood in Ohio. Awesome Patriot has six yearlings and did not breed any mares in 2020.
Bella Sofia's dam Love Contract was just a $3,000 yearling herself who was claimed twice en route to better than $200,000 in earnings. Her prior two foals are both winners, but have run for as cheaply as $4,000 and $5,000, respectively. Love Contract produced a V. E. Day colt last April.
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