The Ballerina (Grade 1) (BC)- $500.000 Purse
SAR- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
August 24, 2024

It is now official: Lady Sammyantha will be returning to the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint to defend her title in that race, just as long as her trainer wants her there, after her victory in the Grade 1 Ballerina. It will become the third time that the veteran Ginger Haggis mare will be in the race, and she will look to become the second repeat winner of it. But we don’t need to get that far ahead of ourselves quite yet, as she entered the Ballerina with bettors looking the way of others a little more than they were of her, as she went off at 8/1 odds, her highest odds since she ran in the 2023 Ballerina. With J R Velazquez aboard, she would essentially win this race by a length and give her trainer, The Sidley Stud, his first win in the race. Velazquez is a four-time winner now. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:21.49, the second quickest in the race’s history. Avery Island was flying around here in 2012, apparently. Let’s take a look at it:

(1/4 Mile- :22.42)- From the gate, there are two horses that are pushed to the front, and the one holding a slight advantage at this point is the WIlliams9-owned Scarlett Dream. Within a half-length to her outside is Devils Bride, the post time favorite who is running for Alydar Stables for the first time. Heads apart for third, we have Smokey Stover’s Shadow State running on the rail, and over in the fourth lane, that’s where we find our eventual race winner, The Sidley Stud’s Lady Sammyantha as they stalk the pace. Running between these two, are Smokey Stover’s Avatar and Rock Creek’s Silly Relleno. On the far outside, Grandest Lady (La Canada Racehorses) is next, then it is Starving Artist (Wood Duck Stables) and Chica Lugo (Mb Stables), with Adrift At Sea (Threshold) nearby. It’s another length to Last Call (YME Stable), and the trailer is Spring Street (High Voltage).

(½ Mile- :45.66)- Devils Bride takes over the lead as they approach the turn, but Lady Sammyantha decides she is not going to wait around any longer and makes her push to the front from the outside. She has not quite pulled even with Devils Bride at a half mile, but that is imminent to say the least. Scarlett Dream tries to keep pace with them, and for now, she does. Shadow State stalks these three by herself now but is still a length ahead of Avatar and Silly Relleno. Further back, Grandest Lady and Chica Lugo run together looking for options on the outside.

(Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- Lady Sammyantha will take the lead of the race as they work around the turn and has a neck in front of Devils Bride as they hit the top of the stretch. That one is trying to hang tough, but Scarlett Dream was not so fortunate. Shadow State is in a good spot here, just being a length behind Devils Bride with the potential to move to the rail for the stretch. Silly Relleno passed Avatar for a spot and had time to make a run. On the outside, Grandest Lady and Chica Lugo were not able to push forward anymore, but a horse that was opening some eyes now was Adrift At Sea as she started to work her way through traffic. Starving Artist lacked response while Spring Street looked to pick off a few positions. Last Call was not looking like she did here in 2022.

(Finish- 1:21.49)- Lady Sammyantha gradually pulls away from Devils Bride in the stretch, but her work was not done as Shadow State still had the potential to make a run. But she could not make any significant progress on the leader. Further back, Adrift At Sea made an effective charge and Spring Street decided to follow her through. However, they would not have nearly enough time to catch Lady Sammyantha, as she goes on to win this race, pretty much by a length. Shadow State was caught by Adrift At Sea, and they will settle for a dead heat, something that Threshold probably likes a little more than Smokey Stover based on how their day was looking at the top of the stretch. Devils Bride hangs on for fourth place spoils over Silly Relleno. Spring Street only got up for sixth, finishing ahead of Avatar, Grandest Lady, Last Call, Starving Artist, Chica Lugo, and Scarlett Dream.

About The Winner- Lady Sammyantha, trained by The Sidley Stud and ridden to victory by J R Velazquez, is a six-year-old mare by Ginger Haggis and is out of Madame Broulard. She was bred as a yearling in Ontario by her trainer and they have been together throughout. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her fourteenth in 43 starts, her 13th stake win and 11th graded win. Her career earnings are now $2,890.640.

Track: Fast
Time: :22²  :45³  1:09²  1:21²

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 10 – 3 Paid 32.00, 10 – 4 Paid 31.40
$1 Trifecta: 10 – 3 – 4 Paid 126.00, 10 – 4 – 3 Paid 751.40

Scratched: Terratorial

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES