2021 Eclipse Awards: Bella Sofia

Bella Sofia got a relatively late start to her racing career, but once under way, the dark bay filly wasted little time in flaunting her wares.

It was May 6 of her 3-year-old season that trainer Rudy Rodriguez finally had Bella Sofia ready for her debut. Overlooked at 8-1 in a six-furlong maiden race at Belmont Park, she ran off and hid, prevailing by 11 1/4 lengths and earning a 94 Beyer Speed Figure.

Duly encouraged, Rodriguez ran Bella Sofia back a month later in the Jersey Girl at Belmont, where the filly finished a close second behind Australasia, who was upping her record to 6 for 6. In her third start, Bella Sofia easily won a first-level allowance on July 11 at Belmont in what would prove a key prep for her most difficult assignment yet, the Grade 1 Longines Test on Aug. 7 at Saratoga.

Bella Sofia came through with flying colors. Always near the lead, she suddenly drew off turning for home in winning the Test over her fellow 3-year-old fillies by 4 1/4 lengths, earning a 101 Beyer while stamping herself as quite possibly the preeminent female sprinter on the East Coast.

“I know we were asking a lot of her, but she does everything so easily,” Rodriguez said after the Test.

:: Full list of 2021 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories

Bella Sofia then proved herself against older stakes horses, dominating the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom on Sept. 26 back at Belmont. In front from the opening strides, she coasted home a 3 1/2-length winner, earning a 102 Beyer while becoming the top New York candidate for the most important race in the division, the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

Ahead of the Breeders’ Cup, Rodriguez expressed his respect for the speedy Gamine, the defending divisional champion and a primary reason the seven-furlong Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint drew just five starters. Still, said Rodriguez: “We’re going to go after her and hope for the best.”

Alas, Bella Sofia and Gamine dueled one another into defeat in the Breeders’ Cup, setting the table for the late-closing Ce Ce. Gamine faded to third and Bella Sofia to fourth.

Bella Sofia, bred in Kentucky by Two Tones Farm, was sired by Awesome Patriot and produced by Love Contract, by Consolidator. She is owned by the partnership of Sofia Soares, Michael Imperio, Vincent Scuderi, Gabrielle Farm, and Mazel Stable. She was a mere $20,000 purchase from the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. 2-year-olds and horses of racing age sale in July 2020.

Except for when Jose Ortiz rode her in the July allowance, her jockey throughout the year was Luis Saez. In all, Bella Sofia won 4 of 6 starts and earned $592,600.

After getting about 90 days off in Ocala, Bella Sofia was to be pointed to a return to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint as a 4-year-old of 2022.