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25.
North Bell
Leaves A Lasting Legacy
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11/10/2002 |
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Few
broodmares better illustrate the extreme highs and lows of the breeding game
than North Bell. The 14yo dam of three stakes winners, including the champion
Northerly, died at Segenhoe Stud on Monday following complications resulting
from the caesarean birth of an overdue Flying Spur colt.
On the racetrack North Bell was little more than a useful performer. She won
five of her 34 starts at the Victorian country tracks Warrnambool, Donald,
Camperdown and Ballarat, for earnings of $18,495. North Bell is a daughter of
the lightly raced Bellwater a son of the Lyphard stallion Bellypha. From just
four race starts Bellwater won at Chantilly and was second in the Prix de
Courcelles (LR) at Longchamp, third in the Group 1 Prix Lupin and fourth in the
Group 1 French Derby. Bellwater is out of the winning Jim French (Graustark)
mare Paddle who finished second in the Group3 Prix Cleopatre and possessed
enough class to run fourth in the French Oaks (G1). Paddle is a half sister to
Prix De Diane Revlon (G1) and Prix de Saint-Cloud (G1) winner Dunette (Hard To
Beat) the dam of Group 1 Rothmans International winner French Glory (Sadler’s
Wells).
Bellwater was to produce little of note in his seven seasons at stud in South
Australia.
North Bell’s dam, the imported Far North mare North Fleur, was served by the
former Golden Slipper winner Rory’s Jester for 8 consecutive years between
1990 and 1997. She has produced the stakes winners Cannon Song and Duchess
Katrin as well as the stakes placed Japaco and the multiple city winners Jesters
Edge and Big Tide.
In the broodmare paddocks North Bell was to prove a sensation. Her first foal
the Rory’s Jester filly Northern Song was trained by the late Peter Hayes to
win 5 of her 24 starts for earnings of $284,245 including the Chairman’s Club
Stakes (G3) at Flemington
The second foal of North Bell was the champion Northerly (Serheed) the winner to
date of 15 of his 29 starts for earnings of 4,495,450. Fourteen of those 15 wins
have come in stakes races with six at the highest level including the VRC
Australian Cup Gr 1 (2000 m.), WATC Railway S. Gr 1 (1600 m.), MVRC Carlton
Draught Cox Plate Gr 1 (2040 m.), MRC Underwood Stakes Gr 1 (1800 m.) (twice)
and the Yalumba Stakes Gr 1 (2000 m.).
North Bell’s only non-winner came with her third foal the Bellotto mare
Boardwalk Bell (Bellotto) who was placed twice from 10 starts. All was not lost
however as Boardwalk Bell was reported to have been sold to Lindsay Park last
year for $250,000. She failed to conceive in her first year when covered by
champion stallion Danehill. It was an occurrence that dogged the career of her
mother towards the latter years of her life.
North Bell then produced her third stakes winner with the Rory’s Jester
gelding North Boy the winner of 6 of his 14 starts including the VRC Ascot Vale
Stakes (G2) and Singapore Airlines Krisflyer Sprint (G3) and a close second in
the VRC Newmarket H. (G1). His earnings to date totals over $1,273,022, a
healthy return on the $60,000 Mark Pillkington outlaid for North Boy at the 2000
Magic Millions Yearling Sale.
At a time when her progeny would be gold in a yearling sales ring North Bell did
not produce another live foal after North Boy until the birth of the Flying Spur
colt, which is in a life and death struggle at veterinary clinic. After the
birth of North Boy North Bell slipped to Rory’s Jester before missing to that
stallion a year later and then missing again to the ill-fated End Sweep in 2000.
North Bell went through this year’s Australian Easter Broodmare sale, carrying
her Flying Spur foal, where she was reported as sold to Kieran Moore Bloodstock
for $550,000.
By: Mark Smith
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