Running a commercial breeding operation in the recently established Longwood Thoroughbred Farm, doesn't leave much room for sentiment, but Christian admits that any success from that family is always that little bit more emotional for him.
The purchase of Bella Nipotina's granddam Bella Inez (Beautiful Crown {USA}) at the 2004 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale proved a significant point in Christian's involvement in thoroughbred breeding.
His good friend Peter Morgan paid $190,000 for the sister to the previous year's G1 Caulfield Guineas winner In Top Swing and Christian took a share looking to have some fun with a well-bred filly.
"She was a cracking filly and she only had one start and hurt herself and we couldn’t go on," he told TDN AusNZ. "I only had a share in the horse, but ended up buying the other owners out who weren’t keen to breed from her."
Michael Christian (left) | Image by Sam D'Agostino (SDP Media) courtesy of Inglis
Christian embarked on a breeding career with Bella Inez and she was an immediate hit. Her first two fillies, by Starcraft (NZ) and Red Ransom (USA), proved themselves elite performers.
"First, she had Hallowell Belle, who was a Group 2 winner and a multiple Group 1 placegetter. She was a super race mare and the second foal was a Group 3 winner and won the G3 Champion Fillies in WA, Fuddle Dee Duddle," he said.
"I had Bella Inez in foal to Fastnet Rock, when the Star Witness filly, Bella Orfana, was about six weeks old, unfortunately the mare died of a colic attack. Hence where the name came from, 'Beautiful Orphan' in Italian."
"Unfortunately the mare died of a colic attack. Hence where the name came from, 'Beautiful Orphan' in Italian." - Michael Christian
The loss of Bella Inez was keenly felt by Christian, and when approached by Star Witness' former trainer Danny O'Brien to buy the final filly from the mare, he found it impossible to let her go.
"Danny had heard I had a nice Star Witness and he offered to buy her, but I wanted to keep her because she was the last foal. In the end, he purchased 25 per cent and we raced her together and she showed so much promise, but she wasn't finishing off in her races. Unfortunately we discovered she had some heart issues which would prevent her from continuing to race," he said.
Bella Nipotina as a yearling
"We decided to pull the pin and breed with her and so we sent her to Pride Of Dubai and the first foal was Bella Nipotina. She was named in honour of her granddam, because Bella Nipotina in Italian means 'beautiful granddaughter'."
While he would have loved to have raced the filly himself, Christian, who was then just establishing Longwood, put Bella Nipotina through the 2019 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, where Lindsay Park Racing, Andrew Williams Bloodstock and Mt Hallowell Stud (who had raced Hallowell Belle with such success), paid $80,000 for her.
"I can't afford to race everything I produce and my philosophy is always to breed to sell however I had a chat to David Hayes after he bought her and he allowed us to stay involved with her. We did something similar with (multiple stakes-winning mare) Fuhryk with David," he said.
Starting out strong
Bella Nipotina proved a very consistent 2-year-old, finishing no further back than fourth in her seven starts, including placings in the R. Listed Inglis Banner and R. Listed Inglis Millennium. While she didn’t win a race, she was the leading 2-year-old earner for her sire Pride Of Dubai, who was crowned Australia's Champion First-Season Sire.
She didn’t take long to break her maiden in her 3-year-old campaign, surging away first-up to win the G3 Quezette S. by 2l on Saturday and give her jockey Michael Rodd his first stakes success since returning to Australia from Singapore.
"She hadn't finished further back than fourth in her runs and she had run stakes placings in the Inglis races, but to be able to win a prestigious race like the Quezette, which is a well-recognised Group 3 race, is great. Good horses win that race," Christian said.
The past two editions of the Quezette have been won by top-level fillies Exhilarates (Snitzel) and Sunlight (Zoustar), while subsequent Group 1 winners I Am A Star (I Am Invincible), Bel Mer (Bel Esprit) and Alinghi (Encosta De Lago) are also on the honour board.
Christian is already hoping to extend his association with the 'Bella' family by another generation and is confident that Bella Nipotina would make an excellent broodmare prospect when her racing days are over.
"We will see what the other shareholders in her want to do, but we'd love to breed with her eventually," he said.
Bella Nipotina winning the G3 Quezette S. on Saturday
Bella legacy well-poised to live on
Should she end up in Longwood Thoroughbred Farm's broodmare band, Bella Nipotina would join a host of others from her family.
Her dam Bella Orfana (Star Witness) is currently in foal to Trapeze Artist and is likely to head back to Pride Of Dubai this year, while Fuddle Dee Duddle (Red Ransom {USA}) was recently acquired by one of Longwood's clients and is back under Christian's eye, also in foal to Trapeze Artist.
Also on the farm is Bella Sorellastra (Lope De Vega {Ire}), the half-sister to Bella Inez, who Christian purchased as a weanling in what he admits was a bit of an emotional moment soon after he lost the foundation mare.
"When Bella Inez died I bought Bella Sorrelastra as a weanling, because I was feeling a bit emotional and I wanted to keep in that family. She has worked out well. She's a lovely mare, and was a runner-up in the G2 Edward Manifold S. She has a Merchant Navy yearling colt now and is in foal to Deep Field," he said.
Capitalist x Bella Orfana (filly)
Meanwhile, Bella Orfana's 2-year-old Capitalist filly was retained by Christian after passing in at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale earlier this year.
"Ciaron Maher and David Eustace liked her, and we ended up working together to sell a few shares and we will race her," Christian said.
