By Ben Massam
“Inside the Winner's Circle, Presented by Keeneland” is a series showcasing graduates of the Keeneland September sale that have gone on to achieve success on racing's biggest stages.
When the brilliantly talented Unique Bella (Tapit) reported home a 2 1/4-length winner in the GI Beholder Mile S. Saturday at Santa Anita, the accomplishment represented the latest payout on an exercise in patience for Don Alberto Stable, the nom de course for the Solari family of Chile, which has gradually ramped up its presence in American racing in recent years. Unique Bella has carried the banner for the stable over the past two seasons, with her top performances stamping her as one of the most talented Thoroughbreds in training and a force to be reckoned with in the distaff division.
Unique Bella's career has unfolded with a series of bumps in the road, however, forcing Don Alberto manager Carlos Heller of the Solari family to readjust the stable's expectations and goals numerous times. With Don Alberto advisor and racing manager Fernando Diaz-Valdes speaking on his behalf, Heller told the TDN that Saturday's victory was an important step towards a successful 2018 campaign.
“We're very happy to start on the right foot,” Heller said of the filly's win in the Beholder, which righted the ship after a poor break from the gate in the Apr. 13 GI Apple Blossom resulted in a second-place finish as the heavy favorite. “She did what she's supposed to do and broke well in the Beholder. We were a little concerned because the fractions were quite fast–they went :22, :44, 1:09, 1:22–but she proved that she's a very special filly.”
A daughter of leading stallion Tapit out of GI Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic winner Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled's Song), Unique Bella had every right to be special from day one. Heller recalled how the eye-catching gray was instantly on the team's radar upon their arrival to the 2015 Keeneland September sale.
“We love Tapit, of course,” Heller said. “She was a nice, powerful filly coming from a nice female line. The mother was a Grade I winner and the second dam was a [two-time] graded stakes winner. We looked at her and immediately liked the filly. I said 'I'm going to go for it,' and the rest is history.”
Because Unique Bella was offered very early in the September sale as Hip 8, Heller and Diaz-Valdes did not have a difficult time securing the Pennsylvania-bred for a seemingly reasonable $400,000.
“She was quite early, and there weren't too many people there at that moment,” Heller said. “You never know.”
When Unique Bella joined Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer's string in Southern California, however, the Don Alberto team instantly knew they had a talented filly on their hands, according to Heller. Nevertheless, her physical prowess–a muscular frame towering well over 16 hands in height–proved to be somewhat of an obstacle in the earliest stages of her career.
Hammered down to 3-10 favoritism for her five-furlong career debut at Santa Anita in June 2016, Unique Bella broke from the gate last of six horses and closed belatedly to finish second behind eventual MSW sprinter Chalon (Dialed In). While the setback and the subsequent five-month wait for her second start undoubtedly required patience, Heller said Unique Bella ultimately proved better for the experience.
“Immediately, she started showing a ton of class,” Heller said of the filly's earliest days with Hollendorfer. “But she broke badly at the starting gate [in her debut]. She was huge at that moment, she was over 16-2, 16-3. She was training phenomenally, but that debut race was only five furlongs. We were a little disappointed, of course. But in her second start at Del Mar, she proved what we were all thinking. Everyone was on the same page that she was training very well and had a ton of ability. She showed us this since day one.”
With her career successfully jump-started after her November 2016 graduation at Del Mar, Unique Bella reeled off a dominant string of victories over increasing distances at Santa Anita in the GII Santa Ynez S., GII Las Virgenes S. and GIII Santa Ysabel S. Having won the three races by a combined 18 1/2 lengths, the fleet-footed gray appeared poised to claim her first Grade I win in the Santa Anita Oaks as a springboard to the important GI Kentucky Oaks in early May. But as fate would have it, Unique Bella developed a shin injury in late March, forcing Don Alberto's plans to be put on hold once again. It would be nearly seven months before their stable star made it back to the races.
During that time, a handful of fillies she soundly defeated in the winter months at Santa Anita went on to achieve at a high level–namely Abel Tasman (Quality Road), who captured the Kentucky Oaks as well as the GI Acorn S. and GI Coaching Club American Oaks; and stablemate It Tiz Well (Arch), who progressed throughout the summer to annex the GI Cotillion S. in September. If patience was the name of the game, Heller and company could at least take solace in the apparent confirmation that Unique Bella more than belonged in Grade I company.
“We were sad because she was doing very well,” Heller said of Unique Bella at the time of her shin injury. “Unfortunately, we had to miss the Santa Anita Oaks first. We had to stop on her because we wanted to have a nice filly for the future…We knew what we had because we had beaten all those nice fillies.”
Unique Bella finally returned to the races in Santa Anita's Oct. 8 GIII L.A. Woman S. over 6 1/2 furlongs in an attempt to sharpen her for a try in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint less than one month later at Del Mar. She drubbed the field at 2-5 odds in the L.A. Woman, but ultimately was unable to play catch-up and finished a tiring seventh at the Breeders' Cup.
“What happened last year was that we started a little bit late,” Heller explained. “For one reason or another, we didn't do well, but we know she was training well.”
Don Alberto's enduring faith in Unique Bella was confirmed in late December, when the filly finally earned her first Grade I victory in the La Brea S. at Santa Anita. That win secured an Eclipse Award for champion female sprinter of 2017 and opened the door for new goals in 2018. While nobody would suggest that Unique Bella's career has progressed smoothly or without speed bumps to date, the brilliance of her top performances have been a guiding light of sorts for her connections as they plot a path toward the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff in November.
“That's what we'd love to do and that's where we're heading,” Heller said of the World Championships. “At the moment, we'll probably go to the [July 29 GI] Clement Hirsch, maybe the [Aug. 25 GI] Personal Ensign, then the [GI] Zenyatta and the Breeders' Cup. That's what we're mapping out. We have to go one step at a time. She's doing pretty well, she's more calm and we're all happy, so hopefully we show we have a nice filly for the rest of the year. Worst come to worst, she's a great broodmare prospect for us.”
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