Bella Sofia's Connections Find Strength in Numbers

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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Susie Raisher
Bella Sofia wins the Bed o' Roses Stakes at Belmont Park

When bloodstock agent Nick Sallusto worked with owner Michael Imperio and several partners to buy a bundle of horses at the 2020 Ocala Breeders' Sales Company July Sale of  2-year-olds and Horses of Racing Age, their intent was rather modest. The hope was to find a 2-year-old, or maybe a few of them, who could be productive for trainer Rudy Rodriguez in the winter at Aqueduct Racetrack.

"COVID-19 had impacted the sales and there was a lot of uncertainty," Sallusto said. "So I called Michael Imperio, who is a longtime friend. He loves winter racing and I thought there could be some real value at the sale. The sale was supposed to be in June but got pushed back to July. We established a budget and he said, 'Go buy six or seven horses and we'll see if we get lucky.' "

So, with a budget of a little more than $300,000 from Imperio's consortium, Sallusto and his business partner Hanzly Albina bought seven juveniles at the sale in keeping with Sallusto's philosophy that there's strength in numbers at any sale.

"I was raised and taught that it's a game of numbers; that one good one can pay for three bad ones. I've embraced that my entire career," said Sallusto, the 50-year-old son of former trainer Justin Sallusto. "I encourage my clients to buy in numbers of three or four. That really is the way you have to approach it. There are so many obstacles in this game that even when you're right, you can be wrong."

About two years later, the numbers game has proven to be a defining element of a storybook venture.

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From that group, through June 25, six of the 4-year-olds have combined for a single win in 15 starts for the partnership, with earnings of about $93,000. Yet, reflective of Sallusto's words, a seventh swing for the group turned into a majestic grand slam.

For a mere $20,000, Sallusto and Albina signed the ticket on a daughter of Awesome Patriot  who has covered the cost of the other six horses, with enough cash left over to finance three or four future trips to the sales.

In Bella Sofia , a daughter of the Consolidator  mare Love Contract bred by Two Tone Farms, Sallusto and Albina provided Rodriguez with a raw talent that the New York-based trainer has molded into a grade 1 winner and one of the best older dirt sprint fillies in training.

Bought from the Grassroots Training & Sales consignment for a group that originally consisted of managing partner Imperio, Vincent Scuderi, Sofia Soares, Gabrielle Farm, Mazel Stable Partners, and Matthew Mercurio, the 4-year-old Bella Sofia has won six of eight career starts for earnings of $840,100. Winner of the prestigious Longines Test Stakes (G1) a year ago at Saratoga Race Course, she's 2-for-2 in 2022, a nose victory over Frank's Rockette  in the Vagrancy Handicap (G3) followed by a measured, half-length win in the seven-furlong Bed o' Roses Stakes (G2).

"I'm blessed to have a horse like her," said the effervescent Rodriguez, who has won 13 New York Racing Association titles with a stable of primarily claimers and allowance horses. "She is as good a filly as I've been around, and I've worked with Bobby Frankel and Rick Dutrow. I've had grade 1 winners in my barn and she's right at the top with them.

"People think of me as a claiming guy, but I love the game. I love being around horses, and when you have a filly like her, you get up earlier in the morning and you come to the barn with a big smile on your face. She's like a champion for us."

Initially, Rodriguez wondered if the group had overspent on Bella Sofia. She was highly rambunctious and difficult to train, putting thoughts in his head that she should debut in a $40,000 maiden claimer.

"She wouldn't go to the track," said Imperio, the son of the late trainer Dominick Imperio, "and then when they got her there, there was a spot where she would always try to dump the rider. She would start to zig and zag."

But then, right before that claimer, Rodriguez worked the 3-year-old Bella Sofia with his stakes-winning and grade 1-placed 4-year-old filly Water White .

"She went :48 out of the gate and she was in hand while running alongside Water White," Imperio said. "It was the first time she tried in the morning. She finally woke up."

That workout convinced Rodriguez to try the Kentucky-bred filly in a May 6 six-furlong maiden special weight at Belmont Park. That proved to be a highly astute move. Bella Sofia, who was sent off at 8-1 odds, was second early, then grabbed the lead at the half-mile pole and rocketed to an 11 1/4-length victory in a blazing 1:09.69.

The victory instilled enough confidence to target the Jersey Girl Stakes for 3-year-olds, where she bobbled at the break but still finished second. That second career start was followed by an 8 1/2-length allowance win and her breakthrough, 4 1/4-length victory in the seven-furlong Test.

After Medallion Racing and Parkland Thoroughbreds joined the ownership group, a win over older fillies and mares in the Gallant Bloom Stakes (G2) was Bella Sofia's springboard to the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) at Del Mar, where she was the 5-2 second choice behind reigning female sprint champ Gamine . In a field of five, it was left to the 3-year-old filly to run early with the speedy Gamine. That proved costly as Bella Sofia wound up fourth while Ce Ce  and Edgeway  rallied from behind the early leaders to finish 1-2.

"Somebody had to sacrifice and run with Gamine, and I guess it was us," Rodriguez said.

Bella Sofia spent the winter in Florida at Sallusto's Ocala farm, and he noticed a difference in her by the time she was ready to return to New York for her 4-year-old campaign.

"She matured mentally and physically. She really blossomed," said Sallusto, who has played a role in the purchase of 29 grade 1 winners, including Big Brown  , Arklow , and Mind Control . "She grew up."

Through just two 2022 races, it's already been a year filled with drama. Her 4-year-old debut in the May 14 Vagrancy Handicap (G3) was a thriller as she was hooked by multiple-grade 2 winner Frank's Rockette  at the top of the stretch. They remained locked together to the wire, where a game Bella Sofia prevailed by a nose.

Bella Sofia (outside) wins the 2022 Vagrancy Handicap at Belmont Park
Photo: Coglianese Photos
Bella Sofia (outside) outduels Frank's Rockette for the win in the Vagrancy Handicap at Belmont Park

There was internal debate over the next start, with some of the owners eager to run in the June 10 Bed o' Roses at Belmont and Rodriguez wanting to give her more rest. In the end, Bella Sofia's energy level and a field of four convinced the trainer to sign on for the Bed o' Roses, where the star filly once again prevailed.

"I learned you have to give a horse like this time to regroup after a big race because horses like her do not come around too often," said Rodriguez, a former jockey who has often been aboard Bella Sofia for her daily training. "In the end they left it up to me, and the filly looked like she bounced out of the last race good and was eating good and very happy. If I didn't like her breeze, she would not have run, but all the indications were that she was ready, and then we got four horses, which made the decision easier to make. Sometimes you have to take a chance."

Now, with help from using time in a round pen to let the temperamental filly blow off some steam, the plan is to try for another seven-furlong, grade 1 win at Saratoga in the Aug. 27 Ballerina Stakes, with the July 27 Honorable Miss Handicap (G2) as a possible prep over the track.

"At the start of the year, I told Michael they should work backward from the Ballerina, with the Breeders' Cup as the cherry on top," Sallusto said.

As euphoric as a second trip to the Breeders' Cup might be, just getting there once as one of the favorites seemed an impossible dream until the numbers finally worked in the connections' favor.

Of the seven 2-year-olds purchased at the July OBS sale for an ownership group that also included Theresa Cotrone, Bella Sofia was the second cheapest at $20,000 and sold as Hip 870.

"She had a nice fluidity to her," Sallusto said. "She made some mistakes in her breeze out of greenness, and I thought there was room for improvement. I looked for horses that had good action and looked good on the end of a shank. I didn't get too hung up on times because if you focus on time, physical, and fluidity, you'll wind up spending more than your budget on one horse.

"I had a pretty good idea there was not a lot of interest in her from the consigner. I got her for the reserve price, and I think it was myself and the auction house bidding against the reserve. I was very happy to get her."

All told, the seven horses Sallusto bought for the group have earned $933,385, with the other six accounting for just $93,285.

Besides Bella Sofia, the other six purchases were:

Rudy Rod (Orb ) — Bought for $110,000, he earned $64,510 from a record of 10-1-1-2 before he was claimed for $30,000.

Hyperactive Chris (Maclean's Music  ) — A $60,000 purchase, the Arkansas-bred was second in his lone start, earning $16,000, before he suffered a catastrophic injury during a workout.

Rogers Ginger (Will Take Charge  ) — He was bought for $60,000 and lost via claim for $50,000 after a third in two starts and earning $8,600.

Naked and Famous (Upstart  ) — The $45,000 buy is scheduled to make his career debut June 26 at Belmont Park.

Ms Penelopepitstop (Tapiture  ) — Purchased for $23,000, she was unplaced in two starts with earnings of $4,175 and then sold privately.

Majestic Margarita (Majesticperfection ) — The $15,000 buy foundered after she was purchased and has not raced.

Including Bella Sofia, the total price tag was $333,000, with total earnings of $933,385 from seven wins in 23 starts with three seconds and three thirds. Yet without her, the figures shrink like cotton in hot water to $93,285 from a mark of 15-1-2-3. Add in the money from the two claims and the income jumps to $173,285, but that does not include training and veterinarian bills, shipping costs, and commissions to the trainer and jockey.

Put Bella Sofia in the mix and the finances skyrocket. Aside from her earnings, according to Imperio, after the Test the group sold a 33% share of her at an evaluation of $2 million to Medallion Racing and Parkland Thoroughbreds, with Imperio, Scuderi, and Soares staying on board in the listed ownership.

Adding roughly $660,000 from the partial sale, the total income from the $333,000 seven-horse package stands at about $1.67 million.

Those are the kind of numbers that are dreamy to Imperio and his partners.

For Imperio, the racetrack has played an integral part of his life. He spent many childhood days at NYRA tracks while his father operated a small stable. He was 19 and a hotwalker when his life changed.

"One day someone asked me if I wanted to work in the commodities exchange, and I said no," Imperio said. "But I went one day and I never went back to the track."

Though he became a prosperous businessman, Imperio had no interest in racing for the longest time.

"I knew how easy it was to lose money," he said.

Then in 2005, that all changed.

"My father gave my wife a weanling as a present," Imperio said. "I told her to give it back, but five years later, I had 50 horses, and I was losing money until I started working with Rudy and that all changed. I love working with Rudy. He does a great job with the horses and he treats my money like it's his own and looks out for my best interests."

Lady Ivanka wins the 2017 Spinaway
Photo: Coglianese Photos/Joe Labozzetta
Lady Ivanka and her connections after winning the 2017 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga Racecourse

Imperio now has a share of 24 horses, including that one needle in the haystack that gave him a second grade 1 win to go along with Lady Ivanka 's score in the 2017 Spinaway Stakes (G1).

He's been associated with a lengthy list of partners, but enjoying the fabulous ride with Bella Sofia with good friends has made the experience even more of a treasure.

"Being in racing my whole life, there's nothing better than finally getting a good horse," Imperio said. "We were all friends before and that makes it the best part, when you can share the experience with your friends."

As Sallusto undoubtedly would tell him, numbers, even with partners, can pay off nicely at the racetrack.