Bellafina arrives at Oaklawn for a tilt in next week's Carousel

Multiple Grade 1 winner Bellafina arrived Tuesday at Oaklawn Park from Southern California ahead of an expected start in the $125,000 Carousel Stakes on April 25.

Trainer Simon Callaghan said Bellafina, who last year won the Santa Anita Oaks (G1) and was second in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, was originally pointing to Keeneland's Madison Stakes (G1) at seven furlongs to open her 4-year-old season. However, an audible to the six-furlong Carousel was made following the cancellation of the Keeneland spring meet due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bellafina hasn’t started since finishing second to Hard Not to Love in the La Brea (G1) on Dec. 28 at Santa Anita Park. The daughter of Quality Road has worked on a weekly basis since March 16 at Santa Anita with the tab showing a fast four-furlong drill in 46.80 seconds on March 29, which was the fastest of 89 works at the distance that day.

“She’s been doing good. We gave her a little break after her last race and she has come back well,” Callaghan said Tuesday afternoon. “We were looking at either the Madison and possibly the Humana Distaff [at Churchill Downs] and obviously those have been delayed. But she is ready to go and we thought this would be a good opportunity.

"We didn’t want to leave her in the barn.”

Bellafina is a three-time Grade 1 winner for the ownership group of Kaleem Shah, Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith. She won the Del Mar Debutante and Chandelier as a 2-year-old, both Grade 1s, and last year added the Santa Anita Oaks to her resume.

While Bellafina is a Grade 1 winner both sprinting and routing, Callaghan expects she will largely ply her trade around one turn this season.

“That’s probably her best game and the [speed figures] are indicative of that as well,” Callaghan said. “We’ll see how the season develops. One step at a time, but I think more than likely we’ll keep her sprinting.”

Bellafina has compiled a record of 13: 6-3-1 with earnings of $1,446,725. Her only off-the-board finishes have come in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and 2019 Kentucky Oaks, both as the favorite, and last year’s 1 1/16-mile Cotillion (G1) at Parx Racing. She was an $800,000 auction purchase at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Florida 2-year-olds in training sale.

In the Carousel, Bellafina figures to match up with fellow Grade 1 winner Mia Mischief, who opened her season with a local allowance optional claiming victory. Nominations are due Thursday.