Page 71 - NMHBA Spring 2022

La Senora Stakes (R)
Making the first start of her sophomore campaign, Bella Dona led at every call en route to a four-length victory in the January 16, $100,000 La Senora Stakes (R) for New Mexico-bred 3-year-old fillies at Sunland Park.
Bella Dona set fractions of :22.31, :44.83, and :56.88 before reaching the wire in 1:09.17 for 6 furlongs. Simon Buechler prepped and Lindey Wade rode the bay daughter of Attila’s Storm for owners Robert M. Driggers, Del Rae Driggers and Ben Lee Ivey.
Bella Dona was bred by Robert and Del Rae Driggers. The filly is one of 24 official black-type stakes winners from 12 crops sired by the late Attila’s Storm, a Kentucky-bred son of the Storm Cat stallion Forest Wildcat. Raced in five states from 2004-07, Attila’s Storm earned $534,983 from 18 starts and won the 2007 Toboggan Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct.
Attila’s Storm has sired the earners of more than $15.1 million from 245 starters, including multiple stakes winners Waltzing Attila, Flight Song and Tilla Cat. The stallion died at the age of 19 following colic surgery on June 22, 2021.
Bella Dona is out of Charlotte’s Drone,
an unplaced 17-year-old daughter of the Full Choke stallion B.G.’s Drone. Charlotte’s Drone has foaled five winners from as many starters, including Tilla Cat, a full sister to Bella Dona who won three stakes in New Mexico from
2016-18, including the 2016 New Mexico Cup Oaks Championship (R) at Zia Park, and Lariat, a half-brother to Bella Dona who won the 2020 New Mexico Cup Derby Championship (R).
Bella Dona’s second dam, the New Mexico- bred Tilt The Odds mare Charlotte’s Ego, won three stakes in New Mexico from 1997-2001, including the 1997 La Senora Handicap. The filly traces back to her fourth dam, Fanny Falcon, a New Mexico-bred daughter of the Crimson Satan stallion Crimson Falcon who won the 1981 New Mexican Stakes at The Downs at Santa Fe. A 1979 foal, Fanny Falcon was a half-sister to
the stakes-placed Traffic Mark colt Ernest Pal, and she produced four winners from six starters, including Stryker Ego, a Bold Ego gelding who won the 19’93 Ruidoso Horse Sale Thoroughbred Futurity (R) at Sunland Park.
Bella Dona was making her first start since October 31, when the filly scored
a wire-to-wire, 5 1/4-length win in the 6-furlong, $100,000 New Mexico Cup Lassie Championship (R) at Zia Park. All told, Bella Dona has won six of seven starts, and the $60,000 winner’s share of the purse from her fourth lifetime stakes victory increased her earnings to $315,068. In addition to winning the New Mexico Cup Lassie Championship, she won the August 15, $125,000 Rio Grande Senorita Futurity (R) at Ruidoso Downs, and
the September 19, $235,000 New Mexico State Fair Futurity (R) at Albuquerque Downs.
Running For Grace finished second and was followed by Real Me, Delia, Indian Excellence, Foxy Red, Shelly d’Oro, Suertuda and Sunny Jewel.
Running For Grace is a homebred daughter of the Storm Cat stallion Stellar Rain racing for Bryan McDonald and Casey Lambert. The gray or roan filly has won one of four outs, and the $20,000 runner-up share of the La Senora purse bumped her bankroll to $43,068. A homebred daughter
of the Yankee Victor stallion Real Dandy and the stakes-winning Lesters Boy mare Happy Me, Real Me has won one of six races, and she banked the $10,000 third-place share of the purse to bring her earnings to $22,854 for her owner, Fred Danley.
Photos by Coady Photography
SUNLAND PARK
Attila’s Storm
Forest Wildcat
Sweet Symmetry
Charlotte’s Drone
B. G.’s Drone
Charlotte’s Ego
BELLA DONA
SPRING 2022 69