  |
|
|
|
Trainer Bob McIntosh says he wishes he could clone his top pacing filly Belovedangel.
"I w"sh I had ten more in the barn just like her," the Canadian conditioner added. So would most trainers. The daughter of Artsplace has done no less than earn McIntosh and co-owners John Fielding and Irv Liverman of Canada just over $350,000 in career riches. McIntosh first spotted the filly two years ago at the Harrisburg Sale, where she was selling as Hip No 46, under the nom de plum of Capriati Blue Chip. "I really was impressed by her pedigree as she's a very well bred filly (out of a sister to Mattaroni)," Bob recalled. "Plus, she's got great confirmation, she's just put together excellently. She's not a great big filly, just average sized, but she's nearly perfect made." When the bidding was over, McIntosh had signed ticket on the filly for $125,000 on November 3, 2003. He renamed her Belovedangel and set about training her down for her freshman season. "I really liked her at two and she showed a lot of high speed to me last season," Bob said. "She was great-gaited and we took our time and brought her along slowly. She did everything right and made it to the races with no problems." Belovedangel had just one qualifying effort at Windsor Raceway in 2004 before making her pari-mutuel debut in mid-July at Karwartha Downs. Don McElroy was at the controls as the filly paced to an easy 2:00 victory. Her next outing came on July 29 when Stephen Condren was behind the filly as she paced to a 1:55.3 second-place finish that night. She was scratched in her next outing, but then rebounded to finish second again in the $85,456 Robert Stewart Memorial at Woodbine on August 20. "She just had a tough time fighting off that sickness at two," Bob recalled. "We raced her in the first leg of the Whenuwishuponastar series and she finished second with a last quarter of :26.2. Then, the ORC vet scratched her out of the Whenuwishuponastar final, though both Steve (Condren) and I disagreed with the decision. A lot of my horses can look a little sloppy gaited when they're going slow because of the long hopples and loose overcheck. But the track vet has the final say and there's nothing you can do about it. "Two days later, I trained Belovedangel over the farm track in 2:02, with a last quarter in 27 seconds. She was great. Dr. Joe (Johnson) watched her go and she checked out fine for him, too. Five days later she raced in the Robert Stewart and finished second to Cabrini Hanover, race-timed in 1:54. But then she got sick before the Champlain, and in the Harvest Stakes she got racky-gaited in the turns and seemed to be hurting. |
|
|
|
