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GR1 Winner Bellamy Road Pensioned To Old Friends

Grade 1 winner and Grade 1 sire Bellamy Road has been pensioned to Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility based in Georgetown, KY. Michael Blowen, founder and President of Old Friends, made the announcement this morning.

A Florida-bred son of Concerto out of Hurry Home Hillary, Bellamy Road, now 19, retired from racing in 2007 following an illustrious career.

Owned by the late George Steinbrenner's Kinsman Stable and trained by Nick Zito, Bellamy Road broke his maiden in his first start at Delaware Park in 2004. He earned his first stakes next time out, capturing the GR3 Miller Genuine Draft Cradle Stakes at River Downs.

In 2005, he roared back as a 3-year-old setting a stakes record in the GR1 Wood Memorial, a race he won by a record 17 ½ lengths. The victory made him the odds-on favorite for that year's Kentucky Derby, where he finished 7th behind winner Giacomo.

His last start was the 2005 Travers at Saratoga, where he finished second to Flower Alley. Plagued by injuries, Bellamy Road retired that year with four wins from seven starts and earnings of $811,400.

Since 2016 Bellamy Road has stood at Dutchess Views Farm in Pine Plains, N.Y., He had previously stood at Kentucky's WinStar Farm and Hurricane Hall.

At stud Bellamy Road sired numerous stakes winners, including 2011 Wood Memorial winner Toby's Corner and the GR1 winning filly, Constellation.

His son, Diversify, GR1 Whitney Handicap winner and 2018 New York-bred Horse of the Year, also currently resides at Old Friends.

“Bellamy Road has always had a special place in my heart,” said Kinsman President Jessica Steinbrenner, daughter of George. “His Wood Memorial is the most exciting race that I have ever been to. I remember going back to the hotel afterward and being escorted through the kitchen because of all the people gathered outside. To this day, I still watch his Wood Memorial on YouTube, and to hear the announcer say 'a dazzling performance by a dazzling 3-year-old' brings me to tears every time.

“Bellamy is a rock star,” Steinbrenner continued. “He deserves a retirement where his fans can visit and reminisce. It's exciting to think he will be amongst the other great retired racehorses residing at Old Friends.”

“Jessica is following in her father's footsteps,” added trainer Nick Zito. “George would have done the same thing. They're very special people.”

“We were privileged that Kinsman, WinStar, and the other syndicate members sent Bellamy to us, and have allowed us to stand him in New York for so long,” said Dutchess Views Farm's Michael Lischin, on behalf of the Syndicate Manager, Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions LLC. “He is sound and could continue as a stallion but the consensus was that, at his age, it would be in his best interest to retire him to a magnificent facility like Old Friends while he is still healthy and happy. We thank the Syndicate and Old Friends for doing what was right for Bellamy Road.”

“We want to thank Jessica Steinbrenner for trusting us to care for her great horse,” said Old Friends's Blowen. “I know she went out of her way to make sure he'd get to us. Thanks also to Elliot Walden at WinStar who expedited everything, and to everyone at Dutchess Views for taking such great care of him.”

Shancelot Retired

GSW Shancelot (Shanghai Bobby–True Kiss, by Is It True) has been retired from racing after exiting his breeze Monday with a soft tissue injury. The story was originally reported by the Daily Racing Form.

A $50,000 FTSAUG buy turned $245,000 OBSMAR juvenile purchase, the Crawford Farms Racing colorbearer opened his career with a trio of impressive wins, including Saratoga’s GII Amsterdam S. in 2019. Third in the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. there next out, he was second in the GI Santa Anita Sprint Championship S. and completed the exacta behind champion Mitole (Eskendereya) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint S. that term.

Benched after that effort, Shancelot was transferred from Jorge Navarro to Steve Asmussen after Navarro was served a federal indictment for doping. Suffering another setback as he trained up to a comeback this summer, Shancelot returned to the worktab at Fair Grounds in November. He was being aimed toward the Saudi Sprint, but was injured during a five-panel breeze in 1:01.20 (1/28) in NOLA Monday. The dark bay retires with a record of 6-3-2-1 and earnings of $624,300.

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Artist Jamie Wyeth Adopts 10 Racehorses In Honor Of Late Wife

Renowned artist Jamie Wyeth lost his wife of over 50 years, Phyllis Mills Wyeth, on January 14, 2019. To honor her heart and spirit, Wyeth recently adopted 10 retired racehorses from the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, who live at Pastures of Point Lookout in Chadds Ford, PA. The farm was owned by the couple for many years before being transformed into a retirement sanctuary for racehorses in 2020.

Mills Wyeth is best known for breeding and owning Union Rags, the winner of the 2012 Belmont Stakes. Many of her racehorses were trained by Graham Motion, who became a good friend of the Mills Wyeth, as did Motion's wife, Anita. Anita is the executive director of Pastures of Point Lookout and oversaw the adoption for Wyeth.

The 10 horses Wyeth adopted are part of the Second Chances program at Wallkill Correctional Facility in Wallkill, NY. The program uses Thoroughbreds to help rehabilitate inmates and prepare them for possible employment after incarceration.

Champion Magical Retired to Coolmore Broodmare Band

Champion and MG1SW Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}-Halfway to Heaven {Ire}, by Pivotal {GB}) has been retired, Coolmore announced via Twitter on Tuesday. She will join the Coolmore broodmare band, but a 2021 stallion has not been decided upon. In her latest start, the 5-year-old finished third in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup on Dec. 13 for trainer Aidan O’Brien.

“Brilliant seven-time Group 1 winner Magical (Galileo) has been retired and will join the broodmare band at Coolmore Stud,” the tweet read. “Mating Plans [are] yet to be decided.”

Bred by Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt, the May-foaled bay raced for Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor. As a juvenile, she won the G2 Debutante S. and was second by only a nose in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. She continued to progress at three, with a win in the G2 Kilboy Estate S. in July of 2018 and an October score in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S., her first top level win before a second in the GI Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill Downs to end her season.

In 2019, Magical was only out of the first two once in nine starts and added victories in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, G1 Irish Champion S., and G1 QIPCO Champion S. besides an additional pair of group wins. She also ran second thrice at the Group 1 level. This term she saluted in her second Tattersalls Gold Cup, besides the G1 Pretty Polly S. and another Irish Champion S. from seven racecourse appearances. Magical also played the bridesmaid in her second Breeders’ Cup Turf this November. She retires with a mark of 28-12-8-2 and $6,200,713 in earnings.

O’Brien told PA: “She was a great filly, she ran at the very top level all the time until she retired. She was ultra-consistent and just an amazing filly, really. She travelled a lot. She won three Group Ones this year and I was delighted to have her again this year, it was a brave decision of the lads to keep her in training.

“The days that stand out are the Champion S.. She was amazing, she always turned up. She was tough, she was consistent and had a super mind and was very sound. Her mum (Halfway To Heaven) was a queen, she was a queen and she was by Galileo, so I suppose you could call him the king. It would be exciting to train her offspring.”

Highweighted in England and Ireland in 2018 and 2019, Magical is a daughter of G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Halfway to Heaven, who also landed the G1 Nassau S. and G1 Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot S. Magical is the fifth foal out of Halfway to Heaven and is also a full-sister to European highweight and MG1SW Rhododendron (Ire) and group winner Flying the Flag (Ire).

Halfway to Heaven, herself a half-sister to group scorers Theann (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) and Tickled Pink (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), was purchased by agent Demi O’Byrne for Coolmore for €450,000 out of the 2006 Goffs Orby Million Sale. Magical’s second dam is the blue hen and MGSW Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), placed in the G1 July Cup.

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