Bellafina Cuts Path to Santa Ynez Stakes

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Photo: Nicole Marie
Bellafina before running fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Churchill Downs

In bringing Bellafina back from a brief rest, her connections tentatively considered the Santa Ynez Stakes (G2) in January for the accomplished juvenile filly.

On Dec. 10, Kaleem Shah's Bellafina delivered a strong, half-mile workout at Santa Anita Park, and the two-time grade 1 winner convinced trainer Simon Callaghan she's on schedule for that seven-furlong tilt for 3-year-old fillies Jan. 6 at Santa Anita.

"She did it really easily. We weren't necessarily looking to go quite as quick as she did, but she did it super easily and was just feeling good," Callaghan said of Monday's four-furlong move in :47 flat, which earned the bullet among 87 works at the distance. "It definitely was a very good work."

The effort marked Bellafina's third half-mile move at Santa Anita since finishing fourth as the favorite in the Nov. 2 Tito's Handmade Vodka Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Churchill Downs. Before Monday's bullet move, the daughter of Quality Road  completed the distance in :50 flat Nov. 24 and :49 2/5 Dec. 2.

"She's doing really well," Callaghan said. "We gave her sort of a down period after the Breeders' Cup for a couple of weeks. She's been mentally very good. We brought her back galloping and based on this morning's work I think it's likely we'll bring her back in the Santa Ynez Stakes."

After finishing second in a July 4 maiden race at Los Alamitos Race Course in her debut, Bellafina rolled to a 4 1/4-length score in the six-furlong Sorrento Stakes (G2) Aug. 5 at Del Mar. She then put together back-to-back grade 1 victories by a combined 10 3/4 lengths, taking the seven-furlong Del Mar Debutante Sept. 1 before successfully stretching to two turns in the Sept. 29 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita.

In the Juvenile Fillies, Bellafina drew the outside post of 10 going 1 1/16 miles at Churchill. She then hopped at the start and was bumped before tracking leader Jaywalk early, racing third in the five path of the first turn, and moving into second six furlongs in. But she couldn't find enough to get by the front-running winner, and wound up fourth.

"Winning two grade 1 races was great; she's obviously a top-class filly," Callaghan said of Bellafina's season in 2018. "Breeders' Cup was disappointing—we had high hopes going in, naturally. For some reason or another, I don't think it was her 'A' race, but that's the way it goes."

Callaghan is looking forward to 2019 with the filly Shah landed for $800,000 this year from Wavertree Stables' consignment to The Gulfstream Sale.

"We gave her some time to catch her breath and she's coming back really strong now. We're looking forward to a good 3-year-old campaign with her," Callaghan said. "Typically the Quality Road's get better with age. She's a big filly with a lot of scope. I would have to think she's the type of filly that would train on and improve."