From the very beginning, I could tell that Unique Bella was special. A mere glance at her pedigree was enough to convince me that the gray filly would be capable of big things, and when she went through the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, it was clear that I wasn’t the only one intrigued by her potential. The striking, silver daughter of Tapit and Unrivaled Belle left the sales ring after commanding the lofty price of $400,000. It is a lot of money to gamble on an unproven yearling, but in hindsight, her hammer price turned out to be a bargain when you look at what she has gone on to become.
Throughout her career so far, Unique Bella has proven to be brilliant, intrepid, blazingly fast, and as her name implies, unique. In nine starts, she has danced across the finish line in front a total of seven times, with six of those victories coming in stakes races. Unique Bella is unwaveringly fearless in her pursuit of victory, and with each foe she vanquishes, her confidence only grows. The filly has mastered the rare ability to set the pace and keep on rolling, never allowing her foes to get close. She somehow always seems to find another gear, making sure to not only beat her peers but leave them far behind in her wake. Her passion for running and her drive to win cannot be denied. Unique Bella is a fierce athlete, and she knows exactly what to do when her feet touch the track.
As a three-year-old, Unique Bella dominated her competition in the beginning of spring, romping in the grade 2, Santa Ynez Stakes, the grade 2, Las Virgenes Stakes, and the grade 3, Santa Ysabel Stakes. Her unrivaled speed and tenacity led her to be an overwhelming early favorite for the Kentucky Oaks. However, glory on the first Friday in May was not meant to be.
Shin problems reared their ugly heads and left Unique Bella on the sidelines for the majority of her three-year-old season. While the big, gray filly healed, she could only watch as her peers that she once destroyed went on to claim glory in the races that she had previously aimed for. The spotlight fell onto the other fillies, while Unique Bella waited and recovered. However, their glory would be short lived. The story wasn’t over yet. Unique Bella would have her vengeance.
Like a phoenix rising out of the ashes, Unique Bella exploded back onto the scene with breathtaking momentum, flaring her speed and strength brighter than she ever had before. After defeating the shin problems that had ailed her and after spending most of the year out of the game, Unique Bella shook it all off and came right back to the track, guns blazing. She dove immediately into stakes action in the L.A. Woman Stakes, where she easily took down a field of older, more experienced horses. It takes a special kind of horse to come back from a layoff like that and win, and Unique Bella made it look easy.
Shortly after Unique Bella’s comeback win, she fell victim to the suicidal pace of the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. Unique Bella set a blistering pace which left her with little fight in the stretch. After being overtaken by exhaustion, Unique Bella faded to a shocking seventh place finish. It would be the first, and so far, only time that Unique Bella would finish off the board.
As unflappable as ever, Unique Bella returned to the races and set her sights on the grade 1, La Brea Stakes, just one month after her disappointing finish in the Breeders’ Cup. The strong-willed filly was out to prove that she was the real deal. Her loss in the Breeders’ Cup would not be her defining moment. Unique Bella was back to claim her place in the winner’s circle.
Calling upon all her class, Unique Bella raced head to head with the highly talented, Paradise Woods in the La Brea Stakes, and swiftly put her away. With the force of a whirlwind, Unique Bella wildly mowed Paradise Woods down in the stretch to whisk victory away from right under her nose. The herculean effort that Paradise Woods put fourth was simply no match for the undeniable power that resided deep inside of Unique Bella.
Unique Bella would once again prove her speed and heart in her four-year-old debut, the $200,000 Santa Maria Stakes (Gr. 2). As expected, the big, gray beast broke like a rocket and brazenly charged to the lead. Majestic Heat courageously chased after her and latched onto Unique Bella’s throat, pouring on the pressure. It looked like there was going to be a battle for the early lead, but Unique Bella quickly settled the dispute. With bold determination and unwavering confidence, Unique Bella extended her stride and propelled forward with startling acceleration, effortlessly separating herself from all who challenged. Unique Bella was going to take it to her competition, and if anyone wanted to stop her, they would have to come and catch her.
Unique Bella soared across the track on her own, making a mockery of the field. With each passing furlong, she seemed to get stronger and stronger. It was a surreal sight as Unique Bella scorched her way down the track, completely untouched by her challengers, never faltering as her stride pounded mechanically into the ground. Pilot, Mike Smith, sat completely frozen on her back, letting his charge do her thing. People could only watch in sheer awe and amazement when Unique Bella turned for home with no one left to challenge. From the time the gates opened, the Santa Maria Stakes had gone from a race, to a one horse race, and now, to an exhibition.
Unique Bella vivaciously bounded into the stretch, lengthening her stride and opening up on her rivals by daylight. The race was over. No one stood a chance. The only thing her rivals could do was watch her disappear from sight. With an astonishing mixture of authority and grace, Unique Bella romped over the finish line by nine imperious lengths. Her breathtaking exploit took so little out of her that she even had time to pause and glance at her adoring fans while she powered through the stretch. Unique Bella was so unbelievably dominant, she could have won by twenty lengths, had she chosen to.
The uncanny ease in which Unique Bella puts away her rivals leaves you to wonder exactly what kind of horse she is. It was almost scary to see that a horse could completely overpower a group of rivals without even trying. Unique Bella left her foes battered and destroyed on the Santa Maria, but acted as if she were only out for a stroll. Her ruthless running style and unforgiving speed has clearly catapulted her into a class of her own, and I pity the mares that have to cross paths with this beast as 2018 goes on.
I firmly believe that 2018 is going to be a huge year for Unique Bella. Her sheer dominance over her competition has led her through riveting victories time and time again, and as she has shown in the Santa Maria Stakes, there are no signs of stopping. Unique Bella has always been fearless in her pursuit of victory, and with each foe she vanquishes, her confidence only grows, making her ever more of a threat than she already was.
Unique Bella’s single-minded obsession to win is going to take her far this year. The possibilities appear endless, as this bold filly has already proven more than once that she can win at any distance asked. Her next race has not been officially decided yet, but it is likely that Unique Bella’s tour de force will continue on through either the Santa Margarita Stakes (Gr.1) in March, or the Apple Blossom Handicap (Gr.1) in April. There is also a possibility that Unique Bella could face off with the boys at some point this year. It hasn’t been decided for sure, but Hall of Fame jockey, Mike Smith, remarked after the Santa Maria Stakes that Unique Bella “might step up with the boys at some point”. If this is the case, I can see Unique Bella showing the same lack of mercy to the boys as she has sown to her female counterparts. I expect this steadfast filly to march her way to the front and never look back with every call to post this year. We’ll see if anyone has the guts to stop her.
Thank you to Eric Kalet for the beautiful pictures! You can find more of his photography at this link http://erickalet.zenfolio.com/
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