Bell Gable Stable | Horse Racing Free Tips

Somekindofmagician Best in Find Stakes At Pimlico

Bell Gable Stable's Somekindofmagician ran his win streak to three while earning the first career stakes win for himself and his owners with a last-to-first, 1 ¾-length victory in the $75,000 Find at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

Rating well back of pacesetter Trifor Gold, who was in front through splits of :25.02, :50.72, and 1:15.40 before being reeled in by a group led by Nick Papagiorgio, Somekindofmagician trailed each of his six rivals midway around the turn. Jockey Angel Cruz moved the 7-year-old gelding off the fence approaching the stretch and set down for a stretch drive.

Nick Papagiorgio held on for second, a neck ahead of Alwaysmining, who rallied up the rail for third. Trifor Gold stayed up for fourth with 3-2 favorite Cannon's Roar checking in fifth followed by Benny Havens and Closer Look. The winning time was 1:48.13 over a turf course rated yielding.

Somekindofmagician entered the Find off successive $20,000 optional claiming wins at Delaware Park July 21 and Aug. 7, the latter at 1 1/16 miles. They were his first wins since a similar spot last summer at Parx for previous trainer Jamie Ness; he joined trainer Gary Ness this spring.

“He's showing us signs that he's doing very well. Honestly, his last two wins for like $20,000 claiming, but he's gotten so much better. I think he needed that,” Contessa said. “He went a long dry spell without winning a race, and each win I've watched him just improve drastically.”

Somekindofmagician had previously placed twice in stakes, running second in the 2017 and 2019 Maryland Million Turf at Laurel Park. He was also sixth in the race in 2018.

“We thought, 'Hey, let's take a shot at this stake.' It's a Maryland-bred, Maryland-sired race, which he fits,” Contessa said. “We just thought he was coming in on top of his game and we'd find out if the top of his game was good enough. Sure enough, he delivered.”

The Find is named for the Sagamore Farm homebred that raced through age 11, starting 110 times with 22 wins, 27 seconds, and 27 thirds and purse earnings of $803,615. He won or placed in 51 stakes, retired in 1961 as Maryland's all-time leading money winner and the second-richest gelding in history.

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Gary Contessa To Send Out First Starter In Nearly A Year This Friday At Aqueduct

Trainer Gary Contessa announced his retirement from training racehorses in March of 2020, but last December he made the decision to return as a private trainer for Bell Gable Stable. This Friday, the trainer will have his first starter since March 21, 2020 at Aqueduct.

According to the Daily Racing Form, Contessa won't be at the track to saddle Trustyourinstinct in the day's eighth race, a $40,000 claimer for New York-breds at six furlongs. The trainer will instead be setting up his base at Delaware Park, where the backstretch just opened this week.

Bell Gable is operated by Nick and Delora Beaver out of a farm near Delaware Park. Contessa's role for the couple includes building the racing operation, picking out horses at the sales, and assisting in the breeding operation.

“It's been a wonderful experience so far,” Contessa told drf.com. “He's one in a million.”

Contessa Nearing Return to Training

Gary Contessa, who stepped away from training in March to try his hand at being a bloodstock agent and a jockey agent, is set to return Apr. 1. He has accepted a job as the private trainer for Nick Beaver's Bell Gable Stable and will be based at Delaware Park.

“Nick hired me about four months ago to organize his stable,” Contessa said. “He had horses everywhere, with Jamie Ness, Anthony Farrior, Mike Trombetta, and they were scattered all over the place. He told me he wanted to be more organized and be able to report to just one person and he thought I was the perfect guy for the job. He asked what would it take for me to become his private trainer. I gave him a number and he didn't even blink. It is a damn good salary and I will be working for a super, super good guy.”

Bell Gable Stable has been primarily a claiming outfit, but Contessa said the goal is to improve the quality of the stable and to compete at the highest level.

“He wants to become a top stable,” Contessa said. “It's going to take me a year or two to get rid of some of his cheaper horses and bring in better horses. We will have about 25 to 30 horses. He has about 40 but there are 10 to 15 that don't belong. We'll send them to some place like Charles Town. We are going to try to have a little more quality.”

When announcing his departure from the training ranks, Contessa said he was frustrated with his recurring battles with the New York State Department of Labor, which had targeted several NYRA trainers over possible violations.

“When I stepped away, I knew I would be open to coming back, but only as a private trainer,” he said. “But jobs like that are few and far between. When Nick came to me with the offer I thought that it was meant to be. He's an easy guy to work for.”

Contessa started his training career in 1985 and has had 2,364 winners. His top horses include Grade I winners Sippican Harbor (Orb) and Do It With Style (Pancho Villa).

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Once A Trainer, Always A Trainer: Contessa Returning As Private Conditioner For Bell Gable Stable

Gary Contessa, who had announced the closure of his public stable earlier this year, announced this week he will return to training in a private capacity for Nick and Delora Beaver's Bell Gable Stable. Contessa will aid in building the racing operation in addition to training the horses, and said he will continue to represent multiple clients as a buyer's agent at public auction.

Bell Gable is a small racing and breeding operation based near Delaware Park and runs horses primarily in the Mid-Atlantic.

Contessa said he believes training privately will eliminate a lot of the difficulties that prompted him to leave the racing business earlier this year.

“The effort you have to put forth in a public stable can be overwhelming and incredibly time-consuming,” Contessa said. “In agreeing to work privately for Bell Gable I am going to be paid a salary and work with Nick and Delora Beaver to promote Bell Gable and help mold it into a top stable and promote the brand. In exchange Bell Gable gets a trainer, partner, director, bloodstock agent and friend. I will have to report to just them and have the opportunity to share their vision.”

As Contessa's public stable grew smaller in recent years, he said the financial investment no longer made sense, particularly given the cumbersome and expensive requirements of the U.S. Department of Labor for time-keeping and record-keeping. Contessa's stable was one of several New York operations audited by the federal government.

As of his retirement announcement in March, Contessa had saddled runners in 18,142 races with 2,363 wins. His top runners included Grade 1 winners Sippican Harbor and Do It With Style, Kentucky Derby runner Uncle Sigh, and multiple graded stakes winners Rite Moment, Mission Approved, and True Affair.

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