Belle of All

In the hands of Louis Stoddard, Belle of All played brilliantly and with the heart of a lioness. At Hurlingham in 1921, the U.S. regained the Westchester Cup with Stoddard sensational on his beloved Belle of All. They played two grueling matches of seven chukkers, both of which the U.S. won. Belle of All played three periods in each, and was praised by the outstanding poloists of the time for her incredible speed, stamina and courage. In her day, Belle of All was referred to as “easily queen of thoroughbred polo ponies ever bred in America.”

Beautiful and “frightfully fast,” she was bred by Col. E. R. Bradley near Lexington, Kentucky, and was tempestuous from the first. She passed through seven owners in about as many months, before Mr. and Mrs. Louis Stoddard paid Fred Post a visit and the lady, captured by the Belle’s appearance, immediately purchased her as a gift for her husband, at that time at the height of his polo fame.

Belle of All played at Hurlingham in the Westchester Cup of 1921, and fresh from that success she won the Championship of the National Polo Pony Society show in 1921 and again in 1922. After her active polo days were over, she was retired to the stud of Harry Payne Whitney, leaving her legacy in the form of great offspring, most notably Capsheaf and Honu.

Watercolor portrait of Belle of All (Top Photo) by artist, Melinda Brewer; www.poloart.ca