Group 1 winning Commands mare Bella Vella isn’t showing a lot of interest in becoming a mum.
After retiring to stud in 2019 to be covered by the sub-fertile Criterion, Will Clarken’s $22,500 Inglis Digital purchase returned to racing to win the Group 1 Robert Sangster (1200m) at Morphettville.
When she went to auction again at the 2021 Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale, Rosemont Stud parted with $1,900,000 to secure the Glenesk Thoroughbreds offering.
Three years later, it was back to the broodmare paddocks for Bella Vella for a date with one of the best in the business, I Am Invincible. She missed again. So, it was back to the Clarken stables.
Sporting the Rosemont silks, Bella Vella made another successful trip to the track when leading all the way in Saturday’s Group III R N Irwin Stakes at Morphettville.
With Kayla Crowther in the saddle, Bella Vella courageously repelled the challenge of Instant Celebrity (Not A Single Doubt) by a head.
Dexelation (Ambidexter) was a further length and a quarter back in third.
The 7yo daughter of Commands advanced her record to eleven wins, five seconds, and five thirds from 35 starts, with earnings of $970,380.
“It is quite incredible; I don’t think it will happen again from where she has come from and what she has achieved,” Clarken said.
She has got this internal strength. She just wants to compete
“You could see as soon as she walked back to the stable, she was going to come up again.
“I had a deal with Mitho (Anthony Mithen) that as soon as I saw something that was not in the right place or put one foot wrong, we were sending her back to the breeding barn and retire her straight away.
“She has been faultless; she is sound, happy and when in the box, she comes up to you with her ears forward.
"She is a dream for me, and I love her so much.
“When the chips are down, she is there for you. She will give you everything she has got.
“She will have another go at the Sangster in a fortnight.”
Initially purchased by Paul Moroney Bloodstock for $100,000 out of the Willow Park draft at the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Bella Vella is the best of three winners from as many to race out of the imported Stormy Atlantic mare Forget The Weather.
A half-sister to three stakes-winners, Wedlock (Maria’s Mon), Ever After (Kris S) and Extravert (Wild Again), Forget The Weather was purchased by Fionnuala Timoney for $20,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. She was carrying a Shooting To Win colt, which sold for $25,000 at the 2020 Inglis 2020 APRIL Online Sale
Star Thoroughbred Pty Ltd / Randwick Bloodstock Agency (FBAA) purchased a Churchill colt out of Forget The Weather for $180,000 from the Coolmore draft at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
After foaling a Zousain colt last spring, Forget The Weather was covered by Hanseatic.
