Bellypha

Bellypha (28 February 1976 – 12 August 2002) was an Irish-bred, French-trained

Bellypha was a grey horse bred in Ireland by the Head family's Societe Aland breeding organisation. During his racing career Bellypha was a dark grey with a lighter face:[2] like all greys his coat lightened as he aged and later appeared almost completely white.^[3] He was from the third crop of foals sired by Lyphard, an American-bred, French-trained horse who won the Prix Jacques Le Marois in 1972. At stud, Lyphard was very successful, siring champions such as Three Troikas, Dancing Brave and Manila. Bellypha was the third, and best foal of his dam Belga, a moderate racehorse, but a descendant of the broodmare Malcolmia, making her a distant relative of the Coronation Cup winner Oncidium.^[4]

As a yearling, Bellypha was sold for 410,000 francs (approximately £48,000) and entered the ownership of Jacques Wertheimer. The colt's breeders retained some control over his career, as he was trained by Alec Head at Chantilly.

Racing career

1978: two-year-old season

After finishing fourth on his racecourse debut Bellypha recorded his first success at

Bellypha was regarded as a potentially top-class middle distance performer and made his first appearance as a three-year-old in the Prix de Guiche over 1950m on soft ground at Longchamp on 16 April. He produced a strong late run but failed by half a length to catch the favourite Top Ville. He was brought back in distance for the 1600m Prix de La Jonchere, a Group Three race at the same course on 10 May. Starting the 3/10 favourite against seven opponents he won easily by four lengths from Maraway.^[6]

Despite doubts about his stamina, Bellypha was given another chance to prove himself over middle distances on 3 June when he started the 8/1 third favourite for the Group One Prix du Jockey Club over 2400m at Chantilly. Freddy Head moved the colt into a challenging position in the straight but could make no further progress, finishing fourth behind Top Ville, Le Marmot and Sharpman. Jackie Taillard took over from Head when Bellypha reappeared in the Prix Daphnis over 1800m at Evry Racecourse at the end of the month. The colt started at odds of 1/5 against moderate opposition and won by four lengths.^[6]

While Top Ville and Le Marmot appeared the best of their generation in France over middle distances, the leading miler was

In 1978, Bellypha was given a rating of 124+ by the independent Timeform organisation, the "+" indicating that the horse might be rather better than the rating suggested. In the inaugural International Classification, a collaboration between the official handicappers of France, Ireland and the United Kingdom, Bellypha was rated the seventh-best two-year-old colt in Europe, seven pounds behind Tromos.^[5] In the following year the colt was rated 130 by Timeform, one pound behind Irish River and seven behind the top-rated Troy. In the International Classification he was rated the sixth-best three-year-old colt in Europe and the tenth-best horse of any age.^[6]

Stud record

Bellypha was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion at Alec Head's Haras du Quesnay stud. He was exported in 1989 to Japan where his last foals were born in 2000. He was "put out of stud" in Japan on 15 September 2001.^[7]

Bellypha's major winners included:

• Boreale, 1981, Prix des Réservoirs^[8]
• Prix du Moulin, Prix Jean Prat, Prix des Chênes, Prix de Fontainebleau^[9]
• Bella Colora, 1982,
  Lupe Stakes^[10]
• Silvermine, 1982, Poule d'Essai des Pouliches^[10]
• Daloma, 1984,
  Monrovia Handicap^[11]
• Lady Bentley, 1984, Oaks d'Italia^[12]
• Malaspina, 1984, Prix Perth^[12]
• Val des Bois, 1986,
  El Rincon Handicap, Prix La Force, Prix Edmond Blanc, Prix du Muguet, Prix de Guiche^[13]
• Osumi Point, 1990, Keisei Hai[14]
• Makiba Silent, 1992, Queen Sho^[15]
• Hoshu Saloon, 1993, Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun

Pedigree

References