Bellafina Looks Like La Brea Leading Lady

[Wandering Eyes]

The accomplished Bellafina (Quality Road) remains at seven furlongs as she goes for her fourth career Grade I win in Santa Anita’s La Brea S. Saturday. A dominant victress of both the GI Del Mar Debutante and GI Chandelier S. last season at two, she failed to fire in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Churchill Downs, but picked up right where she left off when annexing the GII Santa Ynez S., GII Las Virgenes S. and GI Santa Anita Oaks locally. She was fifth as the favorite in the GI Kentucky Oaks in May, and third after missing the break in Saratoga’s GI Test S. Aug. 3. The Simon Callaghan trainee made an early move before fading to fourth in the GI Cotillion S. Sept. 21, but ran the race of her life on speed figures (105 Beyer) when stretching heavy favorite Covfefe (Into Mischief) to 3/4 of a length in the track-and-trip GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint Nov. 2. The Coolmore contingent has now been added as partners with Kaleem Shah since the Breeders’ Cup.

Bell’s the One was another victim of Cofefe when finishing second by eight lengths to her in Churchill’s Dogwood S. Sept. 21, but she belied 13-1 odds to take Keeneland’s GII Raven Run S. over First Star (First Dude) Oct. 19. The Neil Pessin and Lothenbach Stables representative got acquainted with the Santa Anita surface last Sunday, covering four panels in :48 flat (7/107|XBTV Video).

First Star might be a bit short on experience, but possesses tons of upside. The $35,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-old bargain buy took her first two outings in fast time at Del Mar this summer, and trainer Ron Ellis showed plenty of confidence in her to ship to Kentucky for the Raven Run. Off since then, she’s worked back-to-back six-furlong bullets, most recently in 1:13 2/5 Dec. 18.

Another lightly raced, but flashy La Brea contender is three-for-four ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Hard Not to Love (Hard Spun). Third after setting a hot pace in the track-and-trip Angel Flight S. May 4, she returned to winning ways in an optional claimer here Oct. 25.

 

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