by Karen Briggs, WEG Media

CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — Bella Dolce stepped into the spotlight for a sixth consecutive time tonight at Mohawk, capturing the C$201,300 SBOA Stakes final for 3-year-old trotting fillies in 1:55.2.

Leaving from post 3 with Paul MacDonell at the lines, 1-9 favorite, Bella Dolce, settled into a comfortable seventh place while Countess Stormont and Mark MacDonald stormed to the early lead. Longshot Nashotah (Steve Condren) tucked into the pocket spot as Countess Stormont took the field through fractions of :26.3 and :57.0. Jody Jamieson urged Hamster Dance to challenge as they rounded the far turn, but as the fillies entered the stretch Bella Dolce shifted into another gear and glided past her rivals three-wide to win by 1-1/4 lengths.

A late rush from Whatta Hotty and Garrett Whelan captured second, and Gaelic Mistress (Steve Byron) came from the back of the pack to grab third.

MacDonell said of his filly, “She just goes out on the track and does her thing. She’s pretty much automatic. She had a few minor issues last year at the gate, she’d get a little ornery, but this year she seems over that. She has matured and she just does her thing.”

“She’s as good off a helmet as she is first over. She doesn’t like to get tangled up in the early going,” he observed. “She takes her time off the gate and sets herself up for a good trip most of the time. Good horses do that; they seem to be able to find their trips.”

Bella Dolce’s home base is the shed row of Richard “Nifty” Norman but is hanging her harness bag in Kevin O’Reilly’s barn during her summer tour in Ontario.