'People might say we're mad but we love it' - Bella's Pearl brings joy to Shire

A homebred winner is always cause for celebration, whether it is a Derby winner or one further down the pyramid. For owner-breeder Gill Shire, Bella's Pearl's unexpected success at Lingfield at the end of last month was a pleasure to watch for several reasons.

Having joined a racing syndicate with friends in the 1980s, Shire and her husband subsequently began their breeding venture and have enjoyed success with Stuart Kittow, the trainer of Bella's Pearl and her dam, the Royal Applause mare Plauseabella.

Shire said: "I got into breeding when I retired as it gave me something to do. People might say we're mad but we love it and have had three homebred winners, which we're really pleased about.

"Stuart bought Plauseabella for me at the sales [Tattersalls Book 2] as a yearling and he trained her to win three times. She was quite a weak individual and wasn't very big, but we lost a mare we were going to breed from so she was really to replace that one.

"We're only small breeders but we're enjoying it and that was the icing on the cake."

If Plauseabella is on the small side, then two-year-old Bella's Pearl certainly takes after her, with her trainer saying following last week's Lingfield success: "Her dam wasn't very big but she's even smaller. She may be little but she has got such a big heart, and that's what's important."

Important it was, for Bella's Pearl dug deep to win by a nose at Lingfield under Callum Shepherd on what was her third start, defying odds of 80-1 in the process.

Plauseabella had less luck with her first foal, the Coach House gelding Ken's Boy, who suffered an injury as a yearling. Happily he has now turned his hand to another discipline.

Shire continued: "He had a bad injury as a yearling and, while he was quite sharp, he was quite weak. He has now gone on and is being trained as a polo pony."

It is unlikely the tale will stop with Bella's Pearl as Plauseabella foaled to Coach House this season and also has a yearling by the red-hot Ardad waiting in the wings.

Shire also has another broodmare in Our Piccadilly, a daughter of Piccolo who won three times for Devon-based Kittow.

"We've also got Our Piccadilly, who was owned and raced by Stuart, and we took her on," she said. "She's got a four-year-old by Coach House called Gherkin, who gave us our first homebred Flat success this year, and a full-sister called Notre Mason, who will hopefully run in the next few weeks for Stuart.

"Gherkin has been knocking at the door but he's been giving us a lot of fun."

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