The Ballston (Grade 2)- $400.000 Purse
SAR- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Inner Turf
August 27, 2022

It’s Travers Day at SAR! While that race will be the highlight of the day, it also means that there are plenty of exciting races on the undercard. One of them is the Grade 2 Ballston, which is for older females and is run on the grass. It will run for the 19th time, and will see last year’s winner, Ewa Beach, look to successfully defend her title. It won’t come easy for her, though, as four rivals are set to make things difficult for her. When this race drew initially, we had seven entered, including the great La Terrifiant, but there have already been two scratches, with the rest of the trainers likely grinning a bit when they saw they will not have to run against arguably the greatest active female horse in the game right now. Historically, this has been a very good race for D J C Racing Stables, but he does not have a horse in the field. Let’s take a look at those that do now!

#1- Ewa Beach (The American, ridden by M Franco)- A year ago, The American was celebrating a victory here in the Ballston, and this mare has continued to run well. After winning the race, she went direct to the BC Fillies and Mares Turf and would be the runner up there before winning the Grade 1 Matriarch. Into 2022, the results continued to come by winning the Pegasus Fillies and Mares Turf, and hitting the board in other races, such as the Grade 1 Diana right here in her last start. That’s a race that was won by La Terrifiant, so a rematch would have been a great story. Ewa Beach meets some tough foes here, but has handled them well before.

#2- Proud Eights (Mb Stables, ridden by L Saez)- We also saw her in the Diana last month, and Proud Eights was able to get a piece of the purse there, running fourth. Going back a little bit, she was also a runner in the BC Fillies and Mares Turf, as well as in the Pegasus Fillies and Mares Turf, and was okay in each, finishing in the middle of the field, but not earning a penny from either. However, she did have her shining moment this year in the Gamely at SA, earning the win in a field that did include Ewa Beach.

#3- Shining Moments (RNP Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Of course, you knew that Shining Moments had to be coming next. She ran in the Diana as well, but only could muster a sixth place finish. Over her career, she has won eight times in 22 starts but seems due for her next big victory, if she has it in her. Handled the dirt well in the Fleur de Lis two races back, placing second of four, and back in March won the Hillsborough Stakes. That version of Shining Moments must show up again.

#4- Numeric Madness (Aer Stables, ridden by D E Centeno)- This horse did not race in the Diana in her start, nor was her prior trainer ever thinking about it. Aer Stables picked this filly up from yours truly in June when I was willing to sell everything (I still am, by the way). When I bred Numeric Madness, I will say that I thought very highly of her and was one of my favorites at the time. Perhaps now, she is about to thrive, under the guidance of someone much better than me. For now, she only has one race since the June sale, which was an allowance at LS. Faces enormous company here, but I’ll be rooting for her.

#5- Classic Princess- Scratched

#6- Rose Petals (Mb Stables, ridden by Ru Silvera)- In eighteen starts, Rose Petals has picked up six victories and earned over $500.000 in her career. Up to this point, her lone graded win was in the Grade 3 Beaugay in May at BEL which is certainly a nice score, but otherwise this is a horse that hasn’t really had a break out. She has seemed to be on the verge of it, with ungraded wins, and hitting the board in other graded wins, but she didn’t see the greats of her division in the Beaugay. She is capable of winning against this crowd, but still needs to do so.

#7- La Terrifiant- Scratched

Prediction: 1-2-3-6

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES