By Elaine Belval
The 2011 group of second-crop sires seems to be absolutely top class. War Front, Bernardini, Congrats, and Flower Alley (sire of G1 Ashland S. at Keeneland) are all off to outstanding starts. Perhaps the most surprising is Bellamy Road. Earlier this year, his son Toby’s Corner defeated 2010 two-year-old champion Uncle Mo in the G1 Wood Memorial S.
This past weekend, Georgie’s Angel became his first SW from his second crop (and his seventh overall) when she won the G3 Schuylerville S. at Saratoga. Bred by Scott E. and Carol M. Ricker, owned by Sheffer Racing Stable, Ronald Stocks and Betsy Wells, and trained by Todd Pletcher, the filly won a maiden race at Churchill Downs earlier in July.
Bellamy Road’s sire is the leading Florida-based Danzig-line sire Concerto. Concerto is a long-time resident of Ocala Stud Farm and has done nothing wrong in a long career, except make a big name for himself outside of Florida. But, an argument could be made that he is the best son of champion Chief’s Crown at stud.
Bellamy Road’s female family traces to a very good Phipps family—that of Ten Cents a Dance (family of G1 winner Versailles Treaty, etc.).
Bellamy Road was sold to George Steinbrenner for $87,000 at the 2004 OBS April sale (well above Concerto’s two-year-old average of $29,000). He won a maiden race at Delaware and the G3 Cradle S. at two. At three, however, he stunned everyone with a massive romp in the G1 Wood Memorial, which led to favoritism in the G1 Kentucky Derby. He ran unplaced in the Derby but did return to finish second in the G1 Travers S. to Flower Alley.
Bellamy Road retired to stud Ben P. Walden’s Hurricane Hall. He was later moved to Walden’s new farm, Pauls Mill in Versailles. Bellamy Road was well-priced at $10,000 and proved very popular with 90 named foals in that first crop. When his first crop raced, he had two SWs by the end of August, including Position Limit in the prestigious G2 Adirondack S. at Saratoga.
Bellamy Road now has 34 winners from that first crop, seven SWs and four GSWs (two at the prestigious Saratoga meet). I saw Bellamy Road in October of 2010. He is a very imposing individual. And Pauls Mill is a beautiful farm (if a little bit off the beaten path). It may be that 2011 will see the resurgence of the Danzig-line in the United States with such others as War Front, Pomeroy, and Hard Spun—off to a quick start with his two-year-olds.
Bellamy Road stands at Pauls Mill and his 2011 fee was $10,000.
Elaine, I’d say we could both make a case that Concerto has been CC’s best son at stud, although a couple others have been quite serviceable too. But Bellamy Road is giving indications that he is going to take the game to another level and make this branch of Danzig quite interestingly different from most of the others which are succeeding at present round the world. By adding stamina to the speed he and so many others possess, Bellamy Road is putting so much more versatility to his stock that his future as an above-average stallion (perhaps a really important one) seems assured.
Cheers,
Frank