Bella Paola (foaled 1955) was a French Thoroughbred

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

who won several major races in France and Britain including the

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

1,000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

and

Epsom Oaks The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2, ...

in 1957.

Background

Bella Paola was a big, powerful brown filly, standing 16.3

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high, bred by her owner

François Dupré François Louis Jules Dupré (; 3 December 1888 – 26 June 1966) was a French, hotelier, art collector, and owner of the Thoroughbred horse breeding and racing farm, Haras d'Ouilly. He was a grandson of the painter Jules Dupré. Dupré serv ...

. Although she was foaled in France her ancestry was predominantly German: she was sired by Ticino, who won the

Deutsches Derby The Deutsches Derby is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Hamburg-Horn over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to tak ...

and three renewals of the

Grosser Preis von Berlin The Großer Preis von Berlin, formerly known as the Deutschland-Preis, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Hoppegarten over a distance of 2,400 metres (ab ...

. She was sent into training with

François Mathet François Mathet ( at Vesoul – at Neuvy-le-Barrois) trained racehorses, specialising in flat racing. In France he is well-remembered for being one of the best equestrian trainers in the country's history. Early life Mathet was the ...

Chantilly Chantilly may refer to: Places France *Chantilly, Oise, a city located in the Oise department **US Chantilly, a football club *Château de Chantilly, a historic château located in the town of Chantilly United States * Chantilly, Missou ...

Racing career

In 1957, Bella Paola finished third in the

Prix Yacowlef The Prix Yacowlef is a Listed flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Chantilly Racecourse over a distance of 1,000 metres (about 5 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take ...

on her debut and then won the Prix Georges de Kerhallet at Clairefontaine, the

Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte The Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is sched ...

and the

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. She was rated the second best two-year-old in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

– only her stablemate Texana was rated superior to her. Dupré and Mathet were always keen to attack the top prizes in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and Bella Paola won both the

1,000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

and The Oaks. In the former she was ridden by

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, but because of military service he was not allowed to ride at

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

and

Max Garcia Max Garcia (born November 9, 1991) is an American football guard who is a free agent. He was a team captain at Florida, where he was recognized as second-team all-SEC in 2014. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round, 133rd ove ...

replaced him. Also runner-up in the

Prix du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a ...

, Bella Paola ran disappointingly in the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...

, but ended her career with victory in the

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlong ...

Stud record

At stud her best foal was

Pola Bella Pola or POLA may refer to: People *House of Pola, an Italian noble family * Pola Alonso (1923–2004), Argentine actress *Pola Brändle (born 1980), German artist and photographer * Pola Gauguin (1883–1961), Danish painter *Pola Gojawiczyńska ( ...

, who won the

Poule d'Essai des Pouliches The Poule d'Essai des Pouliches is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at ...

and was second in the

Prix de Diane The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 2,100 metre ...

before breeding several winners, including Val Divine.

Pedigree

References

* The Complete Encyclopedia of Horse Racing - written by Bill Mooney and George Ennor
Bella Paola's pedigree and racing stats
1955 racehorse births Racehorses bred in France Racehorses trained in France Thoroughbred family 4-n 1000 Guineas winners Epsom Oaks winners {{racehorse-stub