Bella Vita’s Betty Grable Stakes

© BENOIT PHOTOS

Kaleem Shah’s Bella Vita scores an easy victory in the Betty Grable Stakes at Del Mar

STAR MAKER

BELLA VITA LIVES THE GOOD LIFE IN BETTY GRABLE

BY EMILY SHIELDS

Just three weeks after losing to Warren’s Showtime in the California Distaf Handicap, Bella Vita turned the tables on that rival and won the $100,000 Betty Grable Stakes at Del Mar Nov. 7.

Despite losing last out, Bella Vita still went favored at 3-5 in the seven-furlong contest. Te last race had been on turf, and this was on dirt, where Bella Vita excels. Te 4-year-old daughter of Bayern— Queenie Cat, by Storm Cat, had won an allowance optional claiming race over the Del Mar main course during the summer meeting Aug. 29 and set out to prove herself against fve rivals in the Betty Grable.

Under jockey Flavien Prat, the Kaleem Shah runner tucked back in third while Big Sweep went to the lead. Fractions fell in :23.20 and :46.17 when Bella Vita swept to the lead and held of a closing Warren’s Showtime by 11⁄2 lengths at the wire. Te fnal time was 1:22.23.

“We had a good trip,” Prat said. “I got a good spot, and we were able to move when it was right. She ran well and we fnished up well.”

PHOTOS BENOIT © Owner Kaleem Shah, right, and jockey Flavien Prat enjoy the limelight in the winner’s circle Prat was winning his ffth consecutive Betty Grable, having already scored with Mo See Cal (2020), Queen Bee to You (2019), Spiced Perfection (2018), and Majestic Heat (2017). Simon Callaghan trains the California-bred, who now has a record of four wins, fve seconds, and a third in 13 starts for earnings of $346,722. “Tis looked like a good opportunity (for Bella Vita) back on dirt,” Callaghan said after the race. “She’s defnitely a dirt flly. We tried turf last time because it was a restricted Cal-bred race, but she shows she’s a decent dirt flly and this was a good spot for her.” Bella Vita has one of the classiest pedigrees in California. By Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Bayern, Bella Vita is out of the unraced Storm Cat mare Queenie Cat, who in turn is out of Strawberry Reason. A graded stakes winner, Strawberry Reason produced champion and 2002 Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Vindication, as well as stakes winners Scipion and In Step and grade 2-placed Blackberry Road and Japan grade 2-placed True Reason. Queenie Cat has produced six winners from seven starters. Bella Vita is her lone stakes winner, reaching that mark Feb. 21, when she took the $101,000 Spring Fever Stakes sprinting at Santa Anita. Bella Vita the previous year had already placed in both the $106,000 China Doll Stakes and the $152,500 Evening Jewel Stakes, then went to the sidelines for nine months. Since her return—and the Spring Fever victory—Bella Vita has placed in the $101,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes and ran second behind top flly Gamine in the $200,000 Great Lady M Stakes (G2) at Los Alamitos. Bella Vita, bred by Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings Inc., originally sold for $75,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling, then was pinhooked for $400,000 at the 2019 Ocala Breeders’ Sales’ April spring sale of 2-yearolds.