Aikenites remember time with Eight Belles
5/13/2008 11:48 PM   0 comment(s) on this story E-mail this story to a friend

By BEN BAUGH
Staff writer
The story of Eight Belles took a tragic turn after her strong second place finish in the 134th edition of the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands. The ill-fated filly's performance marred the day, but she was remembered by the people who knew her best as a filly with class, courage and heart.
The daughter of Grade 1 winner Unbridled's Song was out of the Dixieland broodmare Away, who was a durable campaigner, making 24 starts and racing from ages 2 through 6. She won the Minaret Stakes and placed in four other stakes during her career. Eight Belles was her second foal.
The gray filly was bred in Kentucky by Robert Clay's Three Chimney's Farm and Richard Nip's Serengeti Stable. She was purchased for $375,000 as a yearling at the 2006 Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the consignment of Three Chimneys Agent by Fox Hill Farm's Rick Porter.
Eight Belles' odyssey then took her to the Palmetto State, where she arrived at the Holly Hill Training Center on Sept. 23, 2006. She was broken and trained by Jane Dunn, who said she breezed through the training program. She departed Holly Hill for Aiken on March 26, 2007.
"She was a big, leggy filly, who needed a little time to catch up with her body," said Dunn, in a phone interview Monday afternoon. "I thought she was the nicest of the four horses we had for Rick Porter. She was easy to deal with. She had no soundness problems and was never sick. Sometimes you have children that make things look easy."
The gray filly was under the care of Legacy Stable's Ron Stevens for two and a half months. She trained brilliantly during her stay in Aiken.
"Everyone who got on her thought she had class," said Stevens. "The day she arrived in Aiken we knew she was a class filly. She never did anything wrong. She was a great mover with a great mind, and she never did anything that caused us to change our mind about her. She was a high class filly with a big stride, a good mover - the kind you like to have."
Kristi Delasauries, Billy Bernard and Sarah Hansel had the opportunity to ride Eight Belles while she was in Aiken. Bernard galloped the multiple graded stakes winner and breezed her once. Eight Belles was the kind of horse that made people want to get up at 4:30 in the morning and go to the barn when it was 18 to 20 degrees, he said.
"Sarah Hansel was pretty much her regular rider," said Bernard.
Please see BELLES, page 3B
"I told her owner and trainer that she wouldn't be ready for the April Keeneland meet, but she would be ready for the next year's (2008) Kentucky Oaks, she was that good. I've had the opportunity to sit on some great horses including Personal Ensign. Eight Belles deserved to be there. I had the opportunity to be part of something great for a little while. I enjoyed the ride."
She was a paragon of perfection and those who had the opportunity to work with her recognized her talent and greatness.
"She loved her job," said Bernard. "She was meant to be a racehorse. She never showed any signs of having a lameness issue. She was 100 percent sound."
Eight Belles won three stakes during her sophomore campaign including the Martha Washington Stakes by 13 1/4, the Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes and Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes all at Oaklawn Park. She won or placed in nine of her 10 starts en route to bankrolling $708,650.

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