'ATM machine' Bubbly Bellini retired Bubbly Bellini has been retired after a stellar career that netted 19 victories. The 11-year-old gelding made the last of his 145 starts when finishing fifth at Dundalk in February. In 2012, he clocked up five wins for trainer Ado McGuiness including the valuable Rockingham and Joe McGrath handicaps at the Curragh when ridden by Ian Brennan. McGuinness said: "He was a real warrior and a rock-solid handicapper. The best days were when he won the Rockingham and the Joe McGrath. He also won three races in six days in 2012 and cruised home in the last of them (at Limerick). "He just improved and improved when he came to me (in 2011). I remember jockey Ian Brennan, who was working for me at the time, saying 'this isn't no low-grade handicapper'. He knew him well. "Maybe it was the change of scenery but he thrived with me and he was a brilliant horse to have. He would get fresh at home and would take a good grip and pull but loved going to the beach. "He had a winning stable at the yard - I remember we tried to move him a couple of times but we had to put him back to his winning stable. "I'm dropping him off to the RACE [Racing Academy and Centre of Education] for a trial and hopefully they love him and keep him. "He was like an ATM machine! I'm sorry to see him go, I'm not sure where I'm going to get money for my wife!" Bubbly Bellini was jointly owned by Gary Devlin, a physio in Armagh, and McGuinness' wife Hazel. Incredibly, he was ridden by 38 different jockeys in his career.
