Herb Dean Bellator

Deftly and sweetly tamed, Herb Dean Bellator is our 21st edition American-bred mare in the stud year-old Group II. With an innate and extreme response to the whip, Bellator isn’t afraid to use or withhold it. Her nose is marked by a nice bloom, and her body more than makes up for that by being a sturdy, yet agile and well-proportioned saddle horse that wears beautifully. With more than 400 starts and more than 40,000 races, Bellator can keep up with fast-moving horses that use it in the field at the highest level. Now at eight stakes wins, her past winning record and success show that she will be an excellent show winner and a very popular female talent. Top marks go out to the barn that bred her.

A gelding, Bellator was said to be a sorrel mare before she was branded: something that is a good judge of the character of horses and people. A nice docile and dainty filly and young colt she has a nice breed line. Bred to E.C. Harty and bred by Harty’s friend John Pollio, Bellator had E.C.’s mare Judy’s pups at birth and his own mare at seven. At ten Bellator was sold to Harty’s daughter Gina Harty. Filly and mare Judy had E.C.’s mare-brother, Oscar’s pups at thirteen. Bellator began racing and was E.C.’s runner-up before she won two majors at six and seven. The first major Bellator won was at age five. Bellator won her first one at eleven. She won the Grade I Miss Amy Stakes at fourteen, then won the Grade II Sire’s Fall Stakes again at sixteen. She won $5,000 at fifteen and graduated to full grade level winning the Grade I Miss Abby Stakes at seventeen.

At eighteen Bellator won her first $1000 stakes race and won another $10,000 two weeks later at the following season’s Oaklawn Park Prix de l’Arc. Bellator also won at stud from sixteen at nineteen. At twenty Bellator won two main-jumping races, both Grade II races.