4 Win Saturday - Bella Voce On Song

Lightly raced and talented mare Bella Voce (4 m Fastnet Rock – Keep On Singing, by Hennessy) took a step in the right direction when winning the $40,000 Majestic Horse Floats Rating 65 1200 metres on Saturday at Te Rapa. 

After resuming with a good fourth in the Rating 65 1215 metres on 13 October at Rotorua, Bella Voce did well from back in the field for fourth on Heavy10 in the Rating 65 1000 metres on 27 October at Trentham, and rated a top three chance from barrier five. 

Ridden by Vinnie Colgan, who scored earlier on the programme aboard debut two-year-old filly La Dorada (Super Seth), Bella Voce settled back in the field after being without early speed over a sprint trip, but travelled on the bridle six lengths astern at the 600m and did a really good job to pick up two off the rail in the straight before hitting the line strongly.

Winning by a neck, but going away at the line, Bella Voce ran 1200 metres in 1:11.0 on Good4 footing and paid $4.10 & $1.40 on the NZ TAB tote.

“It was a really good ride of Vinnie’s, sticking to the inside and then getting the gaps, and I was pleased to see her so strong going through the line,” said Mark Walker, who trains with Sam Bergerson.

“She’s had a few issues along the way, but the ownership group have been really patient and she’s rewarded them with some encouraging performances before gaining another win.

“She’s a big strong mare that had a few growing pains, but I still think there’s more to come from Bella Voce as she matures and gets a bit more age on her.  She’ll go up a grade now, but I think she’s racing in the right fettle to measure up and go on with it.

“She’s a mare with a lovely pedigree, by Fastnet Rock, and we’ll be itching to try and get some black type with her at some stage.”

Built in the mould of her Champion Sire, Bella Voce was purchased by David Ellis CNZM, from the draft of Coolmore Stud, at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and owned by Te Akau Singing Star Racing Partnership (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM).

“She is a tremendous example of Champion Sire Fastnet Rock (Danehill), a stallion that has helped shape the Australasian racing and breeding industry,” Ellis said.

Te Akau has experienced great success with progeny of Fastnet Rock (Danehill) – who commanded a stud fee of $275,000 – especially through deeds of his greatest Group One winner Avantage (nine Gr. One wins), and other Group One winners Rock ‘N’ Pop, Heroic Valour, and Age of Fire.

Her dam, Keep on Singing (Hennessy), was a very fast mare that won five races from 1200 metres to 1700 metres and stakes placed over a mile in America, whose first two foals were winners including Group Three runner-up Violinist (Fastnet Rock). 

Taken with the successful cross of Fastnet Rock and Hennessy mares, Ellis was keen to secure her for New Zealand.

“Fastnet Rock is a Champion Sire and the bloodline cross with Hennessy mares has worked very well,” Ellis said. “Fastnet Rock has crossed very well with American blood, in general.

“She’s out of a Hennessy mare, out of Woodman mare, out of a Nureyev mare, so there is an enormous amount of quality sires in her distaff line.”

Bella Voce has an interesting influence of the mare Crimson Saint on each side of her pedigree. Hennessey is a son Storm Cat, whose service fee peaked at $500,000, and Crimson Saint is his grand-dam. She features again in the pedigree of Fastnet Rock, as the dam of his dam sire Royal Academy. 

Crimson Saint was a flyer, with raw speed, and she is renowned for passing on blinding speed and also excellent physical balance to her descendants, and has become a hugely successful producer – and a dominant reason behind the success of the Fastnet Rock/Hennessy cross. 

Bella Voce was strapped Rasheed Alam.

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz