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Bellafina and Donna Veloce Retired

MGISW Bellafina (Quality Road–Akron Moon, by Malibu Moon) was pre-entered for the GI Breeders’ Cup F/M Sprint Monday, but was scratched Tuesday and is now retired after developing a minor issue in her Oct. 24 breeze at Keeneland (five furlongs in 1:00.60), according to owner Kaleem Shah.

Shah noted that ‘TDN Rising Star’ Donna Veloce (Uncle Mo–Coin Broker {Ire}, by Montjeu {Ire}) has been retired as well. Both mares will join Shah’s broodmare band with Bellafina set to visit Uncle Mo and Donna Veloce booked to Justify. The news was first reported by the Daily Racing Form.

“Bellafina had a small issue after the work and since it is so close to the Breeders’ Cup, we thought it was best to have her go an be a momma,” Shah said when reached by phone Wednesday. “She has been super good to us all of these years, winning multiple Grade Is as a 2-year-old and winning the [GI] Santa Anita Oaks. She has had a wonderful career, but we always air on the side of caution and never take any chances with any of our horses. She will be bred to Uncle Mo next year.”

Bred by JSM Equine, Bellafina was purchased by Shah for $800,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream 2-Year-Old Sale and turned over to trainer Simon Callaghan. Earning her diploma at second asking in the 2018 GII Sorrento S., the bay won both the GI Del Mar Debutante S. and GI Chandelier S. that season. She kicked off 2019 with a trio of victories in the GII Santa Ynez S., GII Las Virgenes S. and GI Santa Anita Oaks. Flying late to be a close second to dual champion Covfefe (Into Mischief) in last year’s Breeders’ Cup, Bellafina was also second in the GI La Brea S. The 4-year-old won the GIII Desert Stormer S. in May was second in both the GII Great Lady M. S. July 4 and GI Ballerina S. Aug. 8. She retires with a record of 18-7-5-1 and earnings of $1,617,975.

A $450,000 KEESEP yearling buy, Donna Veloce was also bought for $800,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale and joined Bellafina in Callaghan’s shedrow. Earning the ‘Rising Star’ nod off a dazzling debut win at Santa Anita last September, she was a neck second to champion British Idiom (Flashback) as the favorite in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, after which she was bought into by the Coolmore contingent. Second to Bast (Uncle Mo) in the GI Starlet S. in December, the bay captured the GII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 8 and given a brief freshening, but made the GI Kentucky Oaks Sept. 4, where she finished eighth.

“Donna Veloce has also been retired,” Shah said. “After the Oaks, she came up with a small injury. We had given her plenty of time off after her race in March to recover from that and she seemed a little ouchy again [after the Oaks]. We thought it was best for her to become a momma and she is going to be bred to Justify next year.”

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Woodbine: Dreaming Of Drew A Dream Come True For Minshall And Co.

Dreaming of Drew, a two-year-old daughter of Speightster, chases her first added-money title in the $250,000 Princess Elizabeth Stakes, one of two ($100,000 Overskate) features on Saturday's 11-race card at Woodbine.

Eight starters are slated to go postward in the 75th renewal of the Princess Elizabeth, a 1 1/16-mile main track race for Canadian-bred 2-year-old fillies.

Trained by Barbara Minshall, who has 380 career victories, Dreaming of Drew arrives at Saturday's engagement off a fourth-place finish in the Natalma Stakes (G1T) on Sept. 20 at Woodbine.

“She's training well,” said Minshall. “I'll make a couple of little equipment changes on her. I know she likes the synthetic track here. I just hope she settles well for a two-turn race and I expect a pretty good effort from her.”

It was the second straight stakes appearance for the Hoolie Racing Stable chestnut who lost by a nose to Alda in the Catch a Glimpse Stakes (6 ½ furlongs on the turf) on Aug. 23.

Bred by WinStar Farm, Dreaming of Drew launched her career on June 13 in a 4 ½-furlong test over the Toronto oval Tapeta. Sent off at 5-1, she put in a determined stretch run to finish second, 2 ½ lengths behind the winner.

Next time out, the Ontario-bred broke her maiden via a six-length romp as the 7-5 choice.

Minshall, Canada's champion trainer in 1996, is confident her young star will be up for Saturday's test.

“She is [still learning]. She's a very big horse and she has a ton of ability. That goes without question. She just has to totally get it all together, but she's a horse with a bright future. Hopefully, we can finish this season off with her having a nice race in the Princess Elizabeth, and then give her a nice break.”

Bred and owned by Yvonne Schwabe, Bequia, a dark bay daughter of Vancouver (AUS), will make her stakes debut on Saturday. Bodacious Miss goes after her second win in as many starts, Curlin's Catch, a daughter of Curlin, finished second in her career bow, Dance With Destiny looks to improve off a sixth-place finish in her debut, El Bayern tries for her second straight added-money crown after winning the Muskoka Stakes on August 30, Emmeline, trained by John Mattine, will go for her first win in what is her third (stakes) start, and Victorian Queen Stakes champion Il Malocchio is set to go postward in her fourth career start.

Princess Elizabeth-winning fillies Nipissing (2012), Roan Inish (2009), Ginger Gold (2001), Dancethruthedawn (2000), Deputy Jane West (1992) and Par Excellence (1979) all went on to win the Woodbine Oaks the following year.

The Overskate Stakes has drawn 10 hopefuls. Set for 7 ½ furlongs on the Inner Turf, the Ontario Sired race for three-year-olds & up includes last year's Overskate champion Dixie's Gamble (6-1-0 from 12 starts), who will make his season's debut on Saturday for trainer Josie Carroll, 2020 Vice Regent Stakes winner Not So Quiet (5-0-1 from 11 starts), multiple stakes winner Red Cabernet and (8-3-2 from 30 starts), and multiple stakes placed Royal Laser (5-4-5 from 26 starts).

The Princess Elizabeth is slated as race nine and the Overskate goes as race eight. First post time is 1:10 p.m. Fans can watch and wager on all the action via HPIbet.com.

$250,000 PRINCESS ELIZABETH STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – El Bayern – Sheena Ryan – Mike Mattine

2 – Dance With Destiny – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll

3 – Il Malocchio – Sahin Civaci – Martin Drexler

4 – Dreaming of Drew – Patrick Husbands – Barbara Minshall

5 – Bequia – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Kevin Attard

6 – Curlin's Catch – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse

7 – Bodacious Miss – Justin Stein – Steve Owens

8 – Emmeline – Kazushi Kimura – John Mattine

$100,000 OVERSKATE STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Royal Laser – Justin Stein – Sid Attard

2 – Forester's Turn – Kazushi Kimura – Robert Tiller

3 – Dun Drum – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Ian Black

4 – Dixie's Gamble – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll

5 – Royal Wedding – Simon Husbands – Nathan Squires

6 – Red Cabernet – Steven Bahen – Ian Black

7 – Not So Quiet – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse

8 – Eskiminzin – Davy Moran – Carlos Grant

9 – Silent Jimmie – Daisuke Fukumoto – Paul Buttigieg

10 – Thor's Rocket – Sahin Civaci – Paul Buttigieg

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Prairie Meadows Stewards Hand Down One-Year Ban To Trainer Robert Roe

Trainer Robert Roe has been banned from racing for one year and fined $1,000, reports the Thoroughbred Daily News. The ban was handed down by stewards at Prairie Meadows Racetrack after Roe admitted to accidentally spilling a banned substance into an equine feed supplement, and his trainee Candy My Boy subsequently tested positive.

The horse returned positive tests for active ingredients in a natural substance marketed as kratom after finishing second in races on Sept. 20 and Sept. 28. During a hearing on Oct. 22, Roe testified that he had purchased the substance for himself. He said he was aware he'd spilled the kratom into the joint supplement, but did not believe he'd spilled enough to affect the horse.

Candy My Boy was put on the vet's list for 180 days, and disqualified from both second-place finishes.

While not illegal in the United States, drugabuse.gov reports that kratom contains “compounds that can have psychotropic (mind-altering) effects (…) Kratom can cause effects similar to both opioids and stimulants (…) When kratom is taken in small amounts, users report increased energy, sociability, and alertness instead of sedation.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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Monomoy Girl Primed For Big Effort in Distaff, But Will It Be Her Last?

Two years since Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) won the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff and after a lost 2019, the 5-year-old mare is apparently doing so well that trainer Brad Cox said she is better now than she was in 2018 when she crossed the wire first in all seven of her races. That could mean a second Distaff win. Could it also mean that she will be back for a third try in 2021?

Monomoy Girl has been entered in the Fasig-Tipton November sale and it was widely believed that she would be retired after this year’s Breeders’ Cup. But on a teleconference Wednesday to announce the pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup, Cox said the possibility of her racing next year has been raised.

“I just think [the owners] have if it in the back of their minds that if she shows up and runs extremely well in the Distaff it could be a possibility that they’d like to campaign her in 2021,” Cox said. “Given the fact that she did not race as a 4-year-old, this is basically her 4-year-old season. For a mare who is five and about to turn six, she is somewhat lightly raced. I think a lot of it will hinge on what happens Breeders’ Cup day. I think there will be a meeting at some point after the Breeders’ Cup, either that night or the next day. At some point we are going to have to get a game plan ready. A lot of it will hinge on her performance Breeders’ Cup day.”

After her outstanding 3-year-old campaign, Monomoy Girl dealt with a few setbacks last year that kept her from making a start. The ownership group, which consists of Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group LLC, Monomoy Stables and Bethlehem Stables LLC, patiently waited for Cox to ger her ready for her return. She came back with a win in a May 16 allowance race at Churchill Downs and then won the GII Ruffian S. and the GI La Troienne S.

“As far as getting her back to the races it was a long road,” Cox said. “We had a couple of setbacks in ’19. For her to be able to compete at the Grade I level and win a Grade I was really amazing for us as a team. We feel like she is better this year than she was in 2018. It means a lot to us and our staff and the owners for her to not only make it back but to compete at the Grade I level.”

Monomoy Girl’s task in the Distaff will be made tougher if GI Preakness S. winner Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) runs in that race over the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. The 3-year-old filly has been pre-entered in both races, with the Distaff listed as the first preference. Trainer Ken McPeek said Wednesday that he and owner Peter Callahan have yet to choose which race she will go in, but he hinted that it may be the Distaff.

“We went ahead and took advantage of the fact she can pre-enter in both races without having to pay any fees,” McPeek said. “We figured we would take a look and see what the Classic looks like. We haven’t had an opportunity to sit down and study the past performances yet. We are going to do that in the next 24, 48 hours and get some clarity on what direction we will go in.

“I do think the Distaff is the first logical choice if you don’t know who all the competitors are in the Classic. It isn’t a decision set in stone yet. This gives us the ability to look and check out the other race. I have said all along the Distaff is the likely spot. But we are not going to rule out the other race until we’ve had a chance to analyze who all is running and how the pace scenario may set up. There is still a little bit of time and we don’t have to make a firm decision until the second of November, but I assume we will probably make it over the next couple or three days.”

McPeek said there were pluses and minuses when it came to both races.

“I really like her at a mile-and-a quarter,” he said. “That would be the pro for the Classic. But I also know it is a deeper race on paper. Another pro would be that she would get a bit of weight off [Swiss Skydiver would get a three-pound weight allowance in the Classic] in that race. That’s a couple of reasons to go in that direction. Monomoy Girl will definitely be the horse to beat in the Distaff. She is certainly a top filly, so you wouldn’t think that race would be easy. We have to study it and we will come to a conclusion soon.”

The Classic looks like the more imposing spot. The race has drawn a who’s who of the top male horse in training, including Authentic (Into Mischief), Improbable (City Zip), Maximum Security (New Year’s Day), Tiz the Law (Constitution) and Tom’s d’Etat (Smart Strike).

Cox said he would be excited to see Swiss Skydiver in the Distaff.

“I think it would be fantastic for racing if they were to meet up in the Distaff,” he said. “Obviously, you are talking about our horse already being a champion and that filly is definitely on the leader board and will probably take home champion 3-year-old filly honors this year. It would be a really good match up from the standpoint of being a fan. And I am a fan of racing and I think it would be a tremendous match up and I am looking forward to the possibility.”

The rest of the pre-entered field for the Distaff consists of Ce Ce (Elusive Quality), Dunbar Road (Quality Road), Harvest Moon (Uncle Mo), Horologist (Gemologist), Lady Kate (Bernardini), Ollie’s Candy (Candy Ride {Arg}), Point of Honor (Curlin), Valiance (Tapit) and Harvey’s Lil Goil (American Pharoah), whose first preference is the GI Filly & Mare Turf.

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