Neasham Belle

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Neasham Belle (1948 – November 1971) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the Oaks Stakes in 1951.

Background
Neasham Belle was a bay mare bred in the United Kingdom by Major Lionel Brook Holliday. She was sired by Nearco, out of the dam Phase, with Windsor Lad as her damsire. She was trained by Geoffrey Brooke at Clarehaven Stables near Newmarket and owned by Lionel Holliday.

Racing career
As a two-year-old in 1950, Neasham Belle won one minor race at Doncaster, but she did not perform well in her other early races, including starting favourite for the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot and then disappointing.

Her three-year-old season included an unplaced effort in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket and a third-place finish in the Lingfield Oaks Trial, just behind Chinese Cracker and Sea Parrot. On June 1, 1951, she ran in the Oaks at Epsom as a 33/1 outsider. Ridden by Stan Clayton, she won decisively by four lengths from Chinese Cracker, with Belle of All two lengths back in third. Her only other race that year was the Yorkshire Oaks, where she faded to unplaced behind Sea Parrot.

Assessment
In A Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris described Neasham Belle as an average Oaks winner.

Stud career and death
Retired to stud, Neasham Belle produced two minor winners: Magnifier (by Mark-Ye-Well) and First Grey (by Roan Rocket). She died in November 1971.