Dominick Imperio knew Thoroughbreds in addition to anybody and higher than most. He had skilled them on the uber-competitive New York circuit earlier than turning his consideration to making ready younger prospects in Florida.
He may see the weather falling into place for his son, Michael, who entered the business as an proprietor in 2005. Dominick was satisfied that Michael had aligned himself with the best individuals in bloodstock adviser Nick Sallusto and coach Rudy Rodriguez. Each had been captivated with their livelihoods, and Dominick seen Sallusto’s Thorostock Coaching Heart in Morriston, Fla., as a great setting for a younger runner to develop and mature.
Dominick assured Michael {that a} particular horse would come his approach if he persevered. Michael saved that thought near him after Dominick succumbed to most cancers this previous March at 78. Positive sufficient, his father was proper.
Imperio is almost all proprietor of Bella Sofia, a contender within the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 6 at Del Mar. The three-year-old has swept 4 of her first 5 lifetime begins, with the victories coming by a mixed 25 ½ lengths. She already has earned greater than half one million {dollars}.
Dominick had no approach of seeing that Michael, 58, would land the star he has been chasing for a mere $20,000 after years of great funding. He additionally had no approach of figuring out that Bella Sofia is perhaps described as, let’s consider, a petulant diva.
That’s maybe the kindest, most diplomatic approach, to explain a filly that drives handlers to distraction. Day-after-day of coaching is important, however Bella Sofia by no means bought that message upon her arrival at Thorostock after she bought for such a modest sum as a 2-year-old on the Ocala Breeders’ Gross sales Co. July Sale.
“Some days she simply would completely refuse to coach. Dig her ft within the floor, not need to go ahead,” Sallusto mentioned. “We by no means actually compelled her to do something.”
He credit the endurance of Jimmy Randolph, an assistant coach at Thorostock. Randolph and his employees tried varied approaches, trying to find one thing that clicked. “We had been going to let issues be her concept,” Sallusto mentioned.
She rejected a lot of what they tried as very unhealthy concepts.
“It took some time to get her confidence in us up,” Sallusto mentioned. “We tried completely different routines and, lastly, we bought a routine she actually preferred, a rider that basically bought alongside along with her and, from that time ahead, on daily basis was higher.”
Nothing got here simply.
“Any time she would do one thing we preferred, we might give her a whole lot of constructive reinforcement,” Sallusto mentioned. “We made a whole lot of progress in very small increments.”
The mercurial darkish bay daughter of Superior Patriot didn’t come shut to creating the races as a really terrible-acting 2-year-old. When she was finally prepared for a timed exercise, nothing was simple about that, both. Sallusto instructed the rider to go a straightforward two furlongs. She accomplished the drill in 23 and alter, roughly three seconds sooner than the specified time. When an identical situation performed out the second time, Sallusto went from discovering one thing new to get upset about to discovering one thing to be very enthusiastic about. He realized her cruising velocity was terribly excessive.
Bella Sofia and her handlers went by one other troublesome getting-to-know-you course of when she arrived at Rodriguez’s barn in New York. She continued to be so enigmatic that Rodriguez, a former jockey, started galloping her himself because the Breeders’ Cup got here into view.
“She desires to be the boss,” Rodriguez mentioned. “Proper now, I simply attempt to be the passenger.”
Bella Sofia can turn into distracted and upset by the flight of a hen or a tree-climbing squirrel. “She doesn’t tolerate an excessive amount of noise and she will be able to hear all the things,” Rodriguez mentioned. “You’ve bought to be 100% on prime of her paying consideration. She will do any stuff any minute.”
Her idiosyncrasies turn into extra bearable as a result of she will be able to actually run. After a profitable debut on Might 6 at three-quarters of a mile at her house base of Belmont Park, she suffered her lone defeat when she bobbled in the beginning of the Jersey Lady Stakes there a month later.
She rebounded to dominate a July 11 allowance race at Belmont by 6 ½ lengths and dealt with the step as much as Grade 1 stakes firm within the Aug. 7 Longines Test Stakes at Saratoga Race Course with outstanding ease, dispatching Souper Sensational by 4 ¼ lengths. Then, it was on to face older horses for the primary time within the Sept. 26 Gallant Bloom Handicap at Belmont. Imperio and his companions – Sofia Soares, Vincent Scuderi, Parkland Thoroughbreds and newcomer Medallion Racing – already had determined that the $250,000 Gallant Bloom would decide whether or not they risked $100,000 to complement her to the Breeders’ Cup. She punched her ticket with a 3 ½-length rating beneath a gentle hand trip from Luis Saez.
“She earned her approach in,” Imperio mentioned.
Bella Sofia can be confronted by blistering velocity she has by no means seen earlier than in Gamine, an amazing favourite to win the Filly and Mare Dash. “Whenever you’re on the Breeders’ Cup, in each race nothing comes simple. It’s the World Sequence. It’s the Tremendous Bowl. That is the place the cream is, the perfect of the perfect,” mentioned Rodriguez, desirous to embrace the problem together with his fussy filly.
