Belle Genius (5 April 1992 – after 2010 ) was an American-bred, Irish-trained

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse and

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

. Bought for only $8,500 as a

yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Mo ...

, she was matched against high-class opposition from the start of her track career. After finishing fifth in the

Chesham Stakes The Chesham Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place ...

and the

Cherry Hinton Stakes The Duchess of Cambridge Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old Filly, fillies. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket Ra ...

she won a minor event at

Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England known for its racecourse; quirky yarnbomber displays, and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological fin ...

before recording her biggest win in the

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N * Group On ...

Moyglare Stud Stakes The Moyglare Stud Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled ...

. She went on to finish fourth in the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is a -mile thoroughbred horse race on dirt (although the distance has varied, depending on the configuration of the host track) for two-year-old fillies run annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the Uni ...

but was then sent to

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

and finished unplaced on her only subsequent start. After her retirement from racing she became a broodmare and had some success as a dam of winners. Her last recorded foal was born in 2009.

Background

Belle Genius was a chestnut mare bred in Kentucky by Lindsay A. Semple. As a

in September 1993 she was consigned to the

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for it ...

sale but attracted little interest and was bought for $8,500 by the bloodstock agency Newmarket International. The filly was sent to Europe where she entered the ownership of L J Rice and joined the Newmarket stable of

Paul Kelleway Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

, a trainer who had built his reputation by winning major races with cheaply-bought horses. She was from the first crop of foals sired by the Canadian-bred stallion

Beau Genius {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Beau Genius , image = , caption = , sire = Bold Ruckus , grandsire = Boldnesian , dam = Royal Colleen , damsire = Viceregal , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1985 , country = Canada , colour = Chestnut ...

who won several major stakes races in North America including the

Philip H. Iselin Stakes The Philip H. Iselin Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. Open to horses three years of age and older, the race was first run in 1884. In 1891, New Jersey state legislator ...

in 1990. Belle Genius's dam Time and Tide showed very modest racing ability, winning one minor race from nine starts. She was descended from Sailor Hat, a half-sister to the dam of Godetia.

Racing career

1994: two-year-old season

Rather than beginning her racing career in a

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

Belle Genius made her track debut in the

over six

furlongs A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

on 16 June. Ridden by Michael Wigham she started a 50/1 outsider but was beaten by less than three

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Intern ...

as she finished fifth behind the colt Montjoy. On 5 July the filly was stepped up to

Group 3 Group 3 may refer to: *Group 3 element, chemical element classification *Group 3 (racing), FIA classification for auto racing *Group 3, the third tier of races in worldwide Thoroughbred horse racing * Group 3 image format, Group 3 & Group 4 are d ...

class for the

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

and started the 33/1 outsider of the seven-runner field. She led in the early stages before fading in the last quarter mile and coming home fifth behind Red Carnival.

Paul Eddery Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

took over from Whigham when the filly was dropped in class for a maiden race over seven furlongs at

Thirsk Racecourse Thirsk Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, England. The course is a left handed oval of about 1 mile 2 furlongs with a 3 furlong finishing straight and a 6 furlong chute. The present course opened ...

on 8 August. The race was an "auction" event, meaning that the weights were determined by the prices fetched by the offspring of the participants' sires at the yearling sales. Starting favourite against thirteen opponents she led approaching the final furlong and won by a length from Juweilla to whom she was conceding ten pounds in weight.

Jason Weaver Jason Michael Weaver (born July 18, 1979) is an American actor and singer best known for his roles as Marcus Henderson on The WB sitcom ''Smart Guy,'' Jerome Turrell on the short-lived sitcom '' Thea'' from 1993 to 1994, and the pre-teenaged ...

took the ride when Belle Genius was sent to Ireland to contest the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes over seven furlongs at the

Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...

on 11 September and started a 20/1 outsider. The

Phoenix Stakes The Phoenix Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is sch ...

winner

Eva Luna ''Eva Luna'' is a novel written by Chilean novelist Isabel Allende in 1987 and translated from Spanish to English by Margaret Sayers Peden. Eva Luna takes us into the life of the eponymous protagonist, an orphan who grows up in an unidentified ...

started favourite while the other six runners included Sharp Point (runner-up in the Phoenix), Tereshkova (

Prix de Cabourg The Prix de Cabourg is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place each year in lat ...

) and Glounthaune Garden ( Debutante Stakes). Belle Genius was among the leaders from the start a Beating the Buzz set the pace, before going to the front just inside the last quarter mile. She kept on well in the closing stages to win by one and a half lengths from Tereshkova with Eva Luna a length away in third. Following her win at the Curragh, Belle Genius was bought privately for an undisclosed sum by

Sheikh Mohammed Sheikh Muhammad (1560–1650) was a Muslim saint-poet who is venerated by Hindus. Sheikh Muhammad or alternatively Sheikh Muhammed, Sheikh Mohammad, Sheikh Mohammed may also refer to (in chronological birth order): * Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wah ...

's Godolphin organisation. For her final appearance of the season the filly was sent to the United States for the

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

on 5 November. Racing on dirt for the first time she made steady progress in the second half of the race and came home fourth behind

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

Serena's Song Serena's Song (foaled April 4, 1992) is an American Thoroughbred race horse. She won 17 graded stakes races, including 11 Grade I (some against males and older mares), in three seasons for $3,286,388 in earnings. Background Serena's Song is a s ...

and Stormy Blues.

1996: four-year-old season

After the end of her first season, Belle Genius joined the stable of Godolphin's main trainer

Saeed bin Suroor Saeed bin Suroor (born 16 November 1968 in Dubai) is a horse racing trainer in Great Britain. He took out his training licence in 1993 and the following year was appointed as the trainer for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation. He has been ...

and relocated to the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

. She missed the whole of the 1995 season before returning in March 1996 when she finished fifth in a handicap race at

Jebel Ali Jebel Ali ( ar, جبل علي) is a port town south-west of Dubai. The Jebel Ali Port is located there. Al Maktoum International Airport has been constructed just outside the port area. Jebel Ali is connected to Dubai via the UAE Exchange (form ...

Breeding record

After her retirement from racing Belle Genius became a broodmare for Sheikh Mohammed's

Darley Stud Darley Stud is located at Dalham Hall, the global breeding operation owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates. It is on the outskirts of Newmarket, Suffolk, the internati ...

. He produced at least nine foals and six winners between 1998 and 2009: *Battish, a bay colt (later

gelded A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, making th ...

), foaled in 1998, sired by

Pennekamp Pennekamp (foaled 26 March 1992) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire (horse), sire. He was the highest-rated French two-year-old of 1994, when his wins included the Prix de la Salamandre and the Dewhurst Stakes. ...

. Won one race. *Birjand, bay filly, 1999, by

Green Desert ''Green Desert'' is the twenty-seventh major release and the fifteenth studio album by electronic artists Tangerine Dream. The music was recorded in Berlin in 1973, during a period when Peter Baumann had temporarily left Germany to tour Nepal an ...

. Won three races. Dam of

Lucky Nine The Lucky Nine were an English rock band that features members of some other top British rock bands, for instance A, Hundred Reasons and (the now defunct) Cable and Sunna/earthtone9. Their collaboration has resulted in the record ''True Crow ...

. *Rozanee, chestnut filly, 2000, by

Nashwan Nashwan (1 March 1986 – 2002) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After winning both his starts as a two-year-old, he developed into an outstanding performer in the spring and summer of 1989, completing a ...

. Failed to win in six races. *Bin Rahy, chestnut colt (gelded), 2003, by

Rahy Rahy (February 18, 1985 – September 22, 2011) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in England and the United States. Background Bred by Hill 'n' Dale Farms in Lexington, Rahy was a son of the very important sire Blushing Groom and out o ...

. Won one race. *Fereeji, bay colt (gelded), 2004, by

Cape Cross Cape Cross (Afrikaans: ''Kaap Kruis''; German: ''Kreuzkap''; Portuguese: ''Cabo da Cruz'') is a headland in the South Atlantic in Skeleton Coast, western Namibia. History In 1484, Portuguese navigator and explorer Diogo Cão was ordered by Ki ...

. Won two races. *Dellini, bay filly, 2005, by Green Desert. Won one race. *Zelloof, bay filly, 2006, by Kheleyf. Won one race. *Wisecraic, chestnut colt (gelded), 2007, by Kheleyf. Won two races. *Muzdaan, chestnut filly, 2009, by Exceed And Excel. Failed to win in two races.

Pedigree

*Belle Genius was

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...

3 × 4 to Raise A Native, meaning that this stallion appears in both the third and fourth generations of her pedigree.

References

{{Reflist 1992 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in Ireland Thoroughbred family 6-a