Belle Royale ran in late to win his first group/grade race in the form of Gamely Stakes
Michael Tabor's Irish-bred 4-year-old filly, Belle Royale left it late to win the Grade 1, $250,000 Gamely Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park over the venue’s turf course, as the filly has truly blossomed in America with her second win here in two starts.
Simon Callaghan trained filly wasn’t exactly doing well in the U.K. where she raced eight times, and once in a group race, but failed to convert the stakes races, but landed three minor handicaps in England.
She extended her winning streak to five after adding two more to those three minor handicaps she won in England, by converting her debut in America, the American Beauty Stakes at Santa Anita Park on 7 April, 2012.
In a field of eight 3-year-old and up fillies and mares, Belle Royale was up against another Irish bred, Quiet Oasis, trained by Ben Cecil in the Gamely Stakes.
With the pedestrian pace in the Gamely Stakes, Belle Royale with jockey Joel Rosario was in no hurry to get to the front, as both of them dwelled at the back along with, Cambina.
Approaching the final bend, the dark bay filly had one just one beaten, but Rosario angled her on the outside for a powerful rally in the stretch, as Belle Royale responded and showed an amazing turn of foot to scoot away in the final furlong and Quiet Oasis
and Capital Plan in the closing stages of the race, who finished second and third, respectively.
“She came home fast, but she was doing it easy,’’ said Rosario. “She just keeps it going. That’s just the way she runs. The last quarter of a mile she really turns it on.
“I think she’s a really nice filly. I don’t see any reason she won’t go longer – a mile and a quarter or a mile and three-eighths.’’
The daughter of Val Royal, out of mare Kahyasi Moll by Brief Truce, Belle Royale notched her first stakes win in both American and England in the American Beauty Stakes, where she downed, A Jealous Woman in second and Go Forth North in third, with the winning
time of 1 minute and 33.09 seconds.
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