Unique Bella Set to Make Her Return in L.A. Woman
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Photo: Zoe Metz
Unique Bella returns off a seven-month layoff Oct. 8 in the L.A. Woman Stakes at Santa Anita Park
In the modern era of Thoroughbred racing, where workout replays are available and publicized by services like xbtv.com, a certain amount of hype can grow when the whole world can see the morning activity of the sport's stars.
The hype has reached a crescendo for Don Alberto Stable's Unique Bella, who has been wowing onlookers—in person and online—during her last handful of works in preparation for a return to racing in the $100,000 L.A. Woman Stakes (G3) Oct. 8 at Santa Anita Park.
It's not that she's been working fast, although she has been plenty speedy. It's about how easy she seems to click off numbers of :58 1/5 (five furlongs, Sept. 14), :59 (five furlongs, Sept. 20), 1:11 3/5 (six furlongs, Sept. 27), and :45 3/5 (four furlongs, Oct. 4).
"She's doing very well," said Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. "She does everything easy and she looks good working out."
A shin injury sent the Tapit filly—who was a favorite for the Santa Anita Oaks (G1) and Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) at the time—to the sideline in March. Don Alberto racing manager Fernando Diaz-Valdes said Unique Bella underwent surgery to insert a small screw into her injured shin to aid healing during her time off.
NOVAK-CROSBY: Unique Bella Sidelined Due to Shin Issue
"We're happy, first of all, with her, because we weren't going to sacrifice her when she got that shin (injury)," Diaz-Valdes said of the filly who went undefeated in three graded starts to start her 3-year-old year. "We decided to stop, even though we were close to the Santa Anita Oaks and the Kentucky Oaks. It was for the well-being of the horse."
Those three wins to start the season are even more impressive in retrospect, considering what her opposition did the rest of the year.
In the Santa Ynez (G2) Jan. 8 at Santa Anita, she defeated fellow Hollendorfer trainee It Tiz Well by 7 1/2 lengths. It Tiz Well has gone on to win three graded events in 2017, including the Cotillion Stakes (G1) last time out Sept. 23.
In her next victory, the Las Virgenes (G2) Feb. 5 at Santa Anita, she defeated next-out stakes winner Mopotism by 8 3/4 lengths, and in third came defending 2-year-old champion filly Champagne Room, who just made a winning return of her own in a Remington Park Oaks rout Sept. 24.
Stretched out to two turns for the Santa Ysabel (G3) March 4, Unique Bella then defeated four-time grade 1 winner and eventual Kentucky Oaks victress Abel Tasman by 2 1/4 lengths.
BALAN: Unique Bella Game in Santa Ysabel Win
And now Diaz-Valdes says the big gray is in "top form," which should mean more of the same brilliance.
"She's ready to run her best," Diaz-Valdes said of the 6 1/2-furlong LA Woman.
If all goes well Sunday, Diaz-Valdes says the next step for Unique Bella will be a run in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1). Although he feels the filly will handle longer distances just fine, off the layoff this year, the decision has been made to stay sprinting rather than run in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).
"The problem is the timing," he said. "She showed us that she has plenty of speed in all of her races. She loves Del Mar and has been training so well at Santa Anita. At the moment, we just can't go to the Distaff.
"We needed more time. She needs to mature a little, but I don't have any problem with the distance. We don't believe she's only a sprinter. She has that (speed), but we think she has the stamina to go from 6 1/2 (furlongs) to (1 1/4 miles)."
Of the six challengers entered to take her on, none have won a graded stakes.
Princess Karen, a daughter of Stay Thirsty , may not have a graded win, but put on a pretty good audition last time out in the Beverly J. Lewis Sept. 9 at Los Alamitos Race Course, where she defeated grade 2 winner and Test (G1) runner-up Faypien by 1 1/4 lengths.
Santa Anita Park, Sunday, October 08, 2017, Race 5Entries: L.A. Woman S. (G3)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
Sturdy One (ON)
Norberto Arroyo, Jr.
122
Ian Kruljac
-
2
Cuddle Alert (CA)
Edwin A. Maldonado
122
Reed Saldana
-
3
Bad Ju Ju (CA)
Drayden Van Dyke
122
Peter Miller
-
4
Princess Karen (KY)
Kent J. Desormeaux
119
Jeff Bonde
-
5
Unique Bella (PA)
Mike E. Smith
121
Jerry Hollendorfer
-
6
Dis Smart Cat (CA)
Gary L. Stevens
122
Matthew Chew
-
7
Lunar Empress (KY)
Flavien Prat
122
Richard Baltas
-
