2005 Wood Memorial Stakes Winner

April 5 - Bellamy Road

I know that in our book, A Brush With Greatness, Ed Bowen's favorite owner's quote is from Jessica Steinbrenner regarding her later father, George Steinbrenner. She talks about that when she's feeling a little down, she will put on the tape of Bellamy Road winning the Wood Memorial and when she hears her father's name mentioned, she immediately feels better.

Selecting the right source photo for a painting is a gut instinct. As I tell clients, you just KNOW IT when you see it - the light, the action, the color - all come together for "IT". You know what you are looking for, but not pigeonholed into something preconceived, You look until you have that "AH HA! Found it" moment.

I went through a lot of photos of Bellamy Road, but this one has that "IT" quality and at the same time, some reservations as to the kissing of the whip by jockey Javier Castellano. A year or two after I did the painting of Bellamy Road, I was at Ocala Stud where his sire, Concerto, stood. Mike O'Farrell was talking about how difficult it had been to book mares to Concerto but then Bellamy Road won the Wood Memorial and "Before Javier could kiss the whip, the phone was ringing" to breed to Concerto. My instant reaction was - "YES! I knew that was 'IT'!"

Bellamy Road was an American racehorse who became famous for one stunning performance in the spring of 2005. He was a bay colt born in April 2002. His owner was Kinsman Stable, which was the racing name used by George Steinbrenner, the famous owner of the New York Yankees. His father was a stallion named Concerto, and his mother was a mare called Hurry Home Hillary, by Deputed Testamony. His pedigree was solid but not flashy, and he started his career quietly. He won his debut at Delaware Park in the summer of 2004 and added a small stakes win that fall. His trainer, Nick Zito, then gave him time to grow over the winter.

That patience paid off in the 2005 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. Bellamy Road broke fast, took the lead, and kept pulling away from the rest of the field. He covered a mile and an eighth in 1:47.16. That tied the track record set by Hall of Fame horse Riva Ridge way back in 1973. He won by 17 and a half lengths, which is one of the largest winning margins in the history of any major prep race. After that win, fans called him a top choice for the Kentucky Derby. But the Derby went the other way. Over a sloppy Churchill Downs track, Bellamy Road got a tough trip and finished seventh behind a longshot named Giacomo. He skipped the Preakness to rest, then came back later that summer to finish second in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga. After the Travers, his racing career was over.

Bellamy Road went on to stand as a stallion in New York. His sons and daughters did him proud. His best foal was Toby's Corner, who won the Wood Memorial in 2011, just like his father had. He also sired Constellation, who won the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes in 2016, along with several other useful stakes horses. He was retired in 2021 to Old Friends, a famous farm in Kentucky where many beloved racehorses live out their later years. Bellamy Road never won a classic race, and he never became a champion. But racing fans still remember that one Saturday at Aqueduct, when a quiet horse from a quiet pedigree ran one of the most jaw dropping races anyone had seen in years.

Sources:

• Bellamy Road (horse), Wikipedia

• Nick Zito Remembers Bellamy Road's Wood Memorial, Paulick Report

• Veteran sire Bellamy Road retires to Old Friends, NYTB

• Bellamy Road, Horse Racing Nation