Bella Nipotina retired and is set to go under the sales hammer

Perhaps Bella Nipotina was not a horse that the horse racing bookmakers outright feared but she was a mare that was always hugely respected. Winx is the only horse in the history of horse racing in Australia who won more prize money than her so she has been a sensational performer for many years.

Winning record for Bella Nipotina

While Bella Nipotina ‘only’ won 11 times in her 57 races, she was a fighter who went into every battle and came out having tried her hardest. That made her a very easy horse to like, even when she managed to beat one that we had backed!

It was October 2019 when she would grace the racetrack for the first time. Pitched straight into the Listed Debutant Stakes on that debut by her trainer at the time, she was sent off at odds of $12 and would finish fourth.

She failed to win in seven starts in the care of David Hayes and Tom Dabernig but when Dabernig branched out on his own, she would win on her debut for him. Another nine races saw her fail to pick up another win, joining the stable of Ciaron Maher with a record of just 1/20.

Four Group 1 wins and second all-time in prize money

It was not until she joined Maher that she started to realise her potential. Her first win for that stable interestingly came when she was tried from the front. It was a handicap at Caulfield from a rating of 84. She had gone from the front a couple of times prior but that win was the last time that she was seen in front early on.

Maher improved her massively but it wasn’t until October 2022 that she would salute in a Group 1 for the first time. That was in the Manikato at Moonee Valley on a Heavy 8 track. It would be her sole Group 1 win in her first 48 races.

It was one of the most incredible things about the career of Bella Nipotina, that she just kept getting better with age. Her other three Group 1 wins would come in the final nine races of her career.

May 2024 saw her salute in the Doomben 10,000, adding the Tatts Tiara to her tally just six weeks later at Eagle Farm. Earlier on this season she became the first mare to salute in The Everest, a remarkable feat in a sensational race. The last six months of her racing career were the peak performances of her life.

Chairman’s Sale will see Bella Nipotina change hands

$6.6 million was the figure that Imperatriz made when she was sold at the broodmare sales on the Gold Coast last year. It seems unlikely that Bella Nipotina will go for quite as much as that given she arguably didn’t win often enough but there is the potential for a serious bidding war.

It was Yulong who added to their exceptional paddock of broodmares with Imperatriz and the chances are that they are going to be in the mix again. Inglis fought off Magic Millions to gain Bella Nipotina for their catalogue. We will have to wait until May 8 to see her go through the ring.

Summary

What a sensational career Bella Nipotina had on the track. It could be that she proves to be just as valuable in the breeding shed. When she is sold, the hope is that she can pass on not only her natural talent but also her huge heart.