Believe In Royalty Sires First Stakes Winner

Potrero Los Llanos' freshman sire Believe in Royalty  sired his first black-type winner when his daughter Belleza Celestial  won the Clasico Puerto Rico Futurity by a head Sept. 24 at Camarero Racetrack.

Tapit Royalty , who finished second, also is by Believe in Royalty. The race is recognized internationally as a black-type stakes, but in Puerto Rico is considered a grade 1 race.

Belleza Celestial is a homebred for Jose A. Llavona, who races as Establo Llavona Antonio. He bred the new stakes winner out of the Utopia (JPN) winner Taylornator, who was bred and raced in New York by Gabrielle Farm. Llavona acquired Taylornator in December 2015 and took her to Puerto Rico, where she raced nine times and won twice with trainer Jason Lisboa.

Belleza Celestial, who is also trained by Lisboa, has now won three of four lifetime starts. She won her first two starts and then was third in her stakes debut Sept. 3 in the Ramon Llobet Jr. Stakes. She has career earnings of $82,076, but with retroactive purses included has earned $167,435

Believe in Royalty, an 8-year-old son of multiple leading sire Tapit  , won the Ellis Park Derby and was second in the Oklahoma Derby (G3). He is the first foal out of 2012 Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Believe You Can and was sold as a yearling by breeder Brereton C. Jones for $900,000 to William Mack and Robert Baker. He stands at Potrero Los Llanos for $2,500.