In the early months of 2022, Bell Racing Farm and veteran trainer Donato Sordan were devastated when their stable star Union Bell, had to be retired from racing prematurely, due to on-going tendon issues. It was no doubt a hard loss to accept; he was their brilliant sprinter miler, and a much-loved crowd favorite that had won eight of his twelve starts. What made the retirement even more painful, was that Union Bell was one of the very first foreign bred foals born on the farm, being out of Tocqueville, an Argentinian mare brought from their first overseas broodmare buying venture.
Fast forward three years to the present day, and the very first foal sired by Union Bell and his first foal to grace the racetrack, is now the talk of the town just like her sire, following her dominant victory in Sundays Philracom Final Leg of the Juvenile Stakes over 1400 meters.
Prepared by Donato Sordan and ridden by stable jockey Jonathan Hernandez, Isa Bell took command of the race soon after the start, and was rated perfectly by Hernandez in the run. Black Eagle, one of three colts in the race, for a fleeting moment tried to make race of it when he joined the filly on the corner, but was left in her slipstream when she accelerated away to win by an easy five lengths. Black Eagle held on for second spot, with Brown Tiger another filly was a distant third.
Isa Bell, had looked super impressive on debut on November 16, when she donkey licked her opponents in the Marho 30th Breeders Championships 2YO Fillies race, over the same 1400-meter course, however, in Sunday’s race, her win time was one second faster in 1.24 flat on the sand surface.
The dam of Isa Bell, Dr Fager’s Gal is a Wild Desert (Can) mare, that was also purchased in the USA the same time as Tocqueville was, when she was carrying Union Bell, who is by Union Rags (USA), adding more pleasure to Sundays win for the Bell Racing Farm.
The rise of the new racetrack at Padre Garcia, has really spurred on the nation’s owner- breeders, with the top breeds of stallions, broodmares and yearlings being sourced from both hemispheres. At present the Philippines racing and breeding industry boasts some of the best bloodlines in the world.
The Philippine Jockey Club next race over the four days of December 10 – 12 – 13, and culminating with the running of the Philippines greatest race, The Presidential Gold Cup over 2000 meters on December 14. This year the PGC will carry record prizemoney of P15,000,000.