Bella Sofia | Horse Racing Free Tips

Ballerina Solos Sunday at Saratoga

Typically part of Saratoga's Runhappy Travers Super Saturday card, the GI Ballerina H. gets the spotlight all to itself this year as the lone graded event on Sunday's card. It is a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint S.

Champion Ce Ce (Elusive Quality) could only manage third behind the fleet-footed Gamine (Into Mischief) in last year's Ballerina, but a victory in the Breeders' Cup more than made up for it. Just like last year, she enters this test off a tour de force in the GII Princess Rooney S. at Gulfstream July 2.

“We're kind of following the same pattern we followed last year. I thought she ran well at Saratoga last year and I'm looking forward to having another crack at it again this year,” the southern California-based conditioner Michael McCarthy said. “She obviously ran into a very good filly in Gamine but she showed up, and I think she's doing just as well this year if not better than she was last year at this time.”

Bella Sofia (Awesome Patriot) and Obligatory (Curlin) finished one-two in Belmont's GII Bed o'Roses S. last out June 10 and the Grade I-winning duo return here. Bella Sofia's career high came over this track-and-trip last year in the GI Test S. and Obligatory got her Grade I two back in the Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs.

Lady Rocket (Tale of the Cat) dominated the GIII Go For Wand H. last year and enters off a front-running score in Churchill's GIII Chicago S. June 25.

Female sprinters also highlight Del Mar's Sunday card with the GIII Rancho Bernardo H. It's topped by Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint runner-up Edgeway (Competitive Edge).

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Kimari Returns to Winning Ways in Honorable Miss

'TDN Rising Star' Kimari (Munnings) earned her first graded win of the season Wednesday when rallying to victory in Saratoga's GII Honorable Miss H. The 3-1 third choice in a four-horse field, the bay broke a hair slow from the outside post, though not as slow as second choice Frank's Rockette (Into Mischief) in the one-hole. Kimari sat off the fence in third with Frank's Rockette off her inside flank as favored Bella Sofia (Awesome Patriot) and 8-1 outsider Amadevil (Dominus) knocked heads on the front end. Amadevil cruised clear of the chalk, clocking a first quarter in :22.72. Frank's Rockette got into gear, charging up the fence to take control from her longshot foe with Bella Sofia and Kimari ranging up together on the outside as they entered the far turn. Frank's Rockette took command at the top of the stretch with Bella Sofia navigating her way to the fence for an inside attempt and Kimari still coming on the outside. Bella Sofia never turned on the after burners and posed the briefest of threats before backing up. Meanwhile, Kimari was just finding her best stride in the final sixteenth, forging clear of a determined Frank's Rockette to win by a half-length. Amadevil and was eased, vanned off and reported to have bled.

“I thought the race set up for today, especially drawing the outside,” trainer Wesley Ward said. “It gave Joel [Rosario] a nice easy run down the backside with no opposition as far as maneuvering to try to get there. He was already there when they opened the gates. That was a key. It just worked out great, and it's always great to stand in the winner's circle for a graded race at Saratoga. There's nothing like it.”

As for what's next, the conditioner said, “Our ultimate goal would be the [GI] Breeders' Cup [Filly and Mare Sprint in November at Keeneland] because it's my home track and her home track. So we'll work backwards from there and get together with Coolmore and give them a few options.”

“She ran good,” Rosario said. “She's a nice horse and always tries hard. I'm glad we got the win today. It looked like there was going to be so much speed and she [Kimari] can be up closer, but we kind of were in a good spot and she did great and responded to everything I asked her to do. I thought for a second the leader might get away, but she kept fighting and got the job done.”

Kimari captured the GI Madison S. at Keeneland last April and was subsequently sent to the sidelines. Resurfacing in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar seven months later, she checked in seventh behind stablemate Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) and went through the ring at Fasig-Tipton's November Sale two days later, summoning $2.7 million from Coolmore's M. V. Magnier. Returned to Ward's care, Kimari made her seasonal bow in a main track event at Gulfstream Mar. 3, romping by 5 1/4 lengths. The bay was third when attempting to defend her title in this year's Madison Apr. 9 and was fifth last time in the GI Derby City Distaff S. at Churchill Downs May 7.

Wednesday, Saratoga
HONORABLE MISS H.-GII, $186,000, Saratoga, 7-27, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:10.78, ft.
1–KIMARI, 123, m, 5, by Munnings
1st Dam: Cozze Up Lady (GSW, $407,169), by Cozzene
2nd Dam: The White Lady, by Johannesburg
3rd Dam: Maha Al Iman, by Pulpit
($152,000 Ylg '18 FTKJUL; $2,700,000 4yo '21 FTKNOV).
'TDN Rising Star' O-Westerberg Limited, Mrs. John Magnier,
Jonathan Poulin, Derrick Smith & Michael B. Tabor; B-China
Horse Club International Limited (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward; J-Joel
Rosario. $110,000. Lifetime Record: GISW-US & G1SP-Eng,
15-8-2-2, $981,327. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Frank's Rockette, 121, m, 5, Into Mischief–Rocket
Twentyone, by Indian Charlie. 'TDN Rising Star' O-Frank
Fletcher Racing Operations, Inc.; B-Frank Fletcher (KY);
T-William I. Mott. $40,000.
3–Bella Sofia, 125, f, 4, Awesome Patriot–Love Contract, by
Consolidator. ($20,000 2yo '20 OBSOPN). O-Michael Imperio,
Medallion Racing, Sofia Soares, Vincent S. Scuderi & Parkland
Thoroughbreds; B-Two Tone Farms (KY); T-Rudy R. Rodriguez.
$24,000.
Margins: HF, 5 3/4, 40HF. Odds: 3.05, 2.90, 0.70.
Also Ran: Amadevil. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Letter to the Editor: F-T Saratoga Sale to Feature 17 Yearlings from Phipps Families

By B. Jason Brooks

The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale is less than two weeks away and potential buyers are marking up their sales catalogs while researching the accomplished families of those being offered.

At the 2019 Saratoga Sale, four yearlings tracing back to Phipps foundation mare Blitey sold for a collective $4.05 million, one of them being an undefeated Tapit colt named Flightline who has become a multiple Grade I superstar.

Thoroughbred Daily News columnist and pedigree expert Sid Fernando recently noted in story that the Phipps female “families have given past and present breeders a deep foundation on which to build upon and create their own top-class horse.” A look at recent Grade I winners confirms that this is true at the highest levels.

Last year, an impressive 12 Grade I races were won by 10 different horses from families with Phipps female lines, including Aloha West (Hard Spun), Corniche (Quality Road), Essential Quality (Tapit), Flagstaff (Speightstown), Flightline, Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), Maxfield (Street Sense), Bella Sofia (Awesome Patriot), Queen Goddess (Empire Maker) and Got Stormy (Get Stormy), multiple of which are Saratoga Sale graduates.

Through the first seven months of this year, four Grade Is (23 graded stakes wins) have been won by horses from families with Phipps female lines. The Grade I winners this year include Flightline, adding his second Grade I in his first start as a 4-year-old, as well as Shirl's Speight (Speightstown), There Goes Harvard (Will Take Charge) and Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile).

That's an impressive dozen different winners from families with Phipps female lines winning 16 different Grade I races. An exclamation mark added when considering all graded stakes, with 23 of them being won this year by horses from families with Phipps female lines. This level of current success demonstrates the “deep foundation” that Fernando referred to and makes these influential families attractive to breeders and buyers.

A deep dive into the families of the 214 yearlings to be offered at the boutique Saratoga Sale finds that 17, or 8%, are out of top-class mares from families with Phipps female lines, including descendents of Personal Ensign, Blitey, Lady Be Good, Get Lucky, Ten Cents A Dance, and La Troienne mares Belle Histoire and Big Hurry, among others.

On top of their first-rate female families, these blue-blooded yearlings are sired by elite stallions, including Tapit (hips 4 and 179), Curlin (hip 15), Into Mischief (hips 74, 75, 102, 131, 164), Uncle Mo (hips 98, 160, 210), War Front (hip 69), Arrogate (hip 79), Catalina Cruiser (hip 39), Kantharos (hip 211), Oscar Performance (hip 182), and Union Rags (hip 73). Also of note is that Hip 179 is a filly that shares the same sire (Tapit) and Phipps female family (Blitey) as Flightline.

The 2022 Saratoga Sale will provide buyers another chance to purchase yearlings with top-class pedigrees from influential Phipps families which are currently excelling in graded and Grade I races. Like Flightline, some of the yearlings making their way through the sales ring of the Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion in August will become the Thoroughbred stars of tomorrow on the track and subsequently carry on the Phipps legacy in the breeding shed.

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Speedy ‘Sofia’ Returns Winner in Vagrancy

Brilliant last year as a sophomore, Bella Sofia returned a popular winner at Belmont Saturday, but only after hard-knocking MGSW Frank's Rockette tested her for the length of the stretch.

Away cleanly from her outside draw, Bella Sofia pressed in a well-held second through splits of :22.67 and :45.68 with Frank's Rockette drafting from the pocket. Bella Sofia took over at the top of the lane, but Frank's Rockette split horses and immediately came to tackle the favorite. The pair traded jabs from there, with Bella Sofia finding slightly more than her more seasoned foe when it mattered.

“I knew I had it,” said winning rider Luis Saez. “She was coming off the layoff and I didn't want to take too much from her. We knew she's a Grade I winner and a great filly. She did what she was supposed to do. I was a little worried about the layoff, but she proved that she can come back and she's tough.

A double-digit debut winner here some 53 weeks ago, Bella Sofia settled for second in the Jersey Girl S. a month later before dominating future MGSW Glass Ceiling (Constitution) in a first-level allowance in July. She crushed by 4 1/2 lengths in Saratoga's GI Test S. Aug. 7, prompting Medallion Racing and Parkland Thoroughbreds to buy in before Bella Sofia added the GII Gallant Bloom H. over track and trip Sept. 26. She had been off since finishing fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint Nov. 6, but had been showing off her speed in the mornings of late.

“She's a very gutsy filly,” winning conditioner Rudy Rodriguez said. “She's been doing very good in the morning. She's been galloping out seven-eighths to a mile the two times she worked before her last work, so I knew she was fit. She's a special filly. It's good when they dig in like that.”

As for what might be in the cards going forward, co-owner Vincent Scuderi said, “I was a little worried about the break between three and four if she'd come back okay, but Rudy said she's back on her game, she put weight back on. We now have to make a campaign, so hopefully we'll be able to run in the [Aug. 28 GI Ballerina [S. at Saratoga]. The Breeders' Cup is the ultimate goal… We were going to go in the [June 10] GII Bed O' Roses, but Rudy said she was ready so we ran her now. We want to space her out and we have big goals for her going forward.”

Saturday, Belmont Park
VAGRANCY H.-GIII, $145,500, Belmont, 5-14, 4yo/up, f/m,
6 1/2f, 1:16.02, ft.
1–BELLA SOFIA, 123, f, 4, 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
($20,000 2yo '20 OBSOPN). O-Imperio, Michael, Medallion
Racing, Soares, Sofia, Scuderi, Vincent S. and Parkland
Thoroughbreds; B-Two Tone Farms (KY); T-Rudy R. Rodriguez;
J-Luis Saez. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 7-5-1-0, $675,100.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Frank's Rockette, 120, m, 5, Into Mischief–Rocket
Twentyone, by Indian Charlie. O-Frank Fletcher Racing
Operations, Inc.; B-Frank Fletcher (KY); T-William I. Mott.
$30,000.
3–Assertive Style, 117, f, 4, Nyquist–Sca Doodle, by Scat Daddy.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($130,000 RNA
Ylg '19 KEESEP; $95,000 RNA 3yo '21 FTKHRA). O-Flying P
Stable; B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Thomas Morley. $18,000.
Margins: NO, 9 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 0.40, 3.05, 20.70.
Also Ran: Kept Waiting, Miss Brazil. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:
The only 2-year-old by her now Chilean-based sire to sell in 2020 when she fetched $20,000, the :10 2/5 OBSJUN breezer is the stakes-winning full-brother to Classic winner Oxbow (Awesome Again)'s lone Northern Hemisphere graded winner (to go with two Chilean Group winners, including one at the highest level).

Bella Sofia is one of four graded winners out of mares by the Storm Cat stallion Consolidator. Her dam was just a $3,000 yearling who was claimed for $25,000 ahead of a pair of stakes placings. Love Contract RNA'd for $4,000 at the 2019 Keeneland January sale. Her last reported produce is a 2-year-old colt named War Empire (V. E. Day).

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