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
The biggest day of the Saratoga meet is upon us, and it will be highlighted by the Grade 1 Travers. However, that is just one of many great races, and in the Ballerina, we have a “win and you’re race” for the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint, and it is the first such race for this division, so there is plenty of incentive to win. We’ll have a full starting gate, and it is a star-studded field, just the way it should be. The $500.000 being offered has been the recent norm for the race. That year, the Ballerina winner was Up She Flew, for Riggins Racing and she would go on to finish third in the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint and is still active at this time. She’s not going to be here to defend her title, though, so let’s look at those looking to be the winner of the race:
1- Starving Artist (Wood Duck Stables, ridden by F Geroux)- Starving Artist has made a good amount of money over her career, a little over $500.000, and hopes to pick up her first graded victory. Her career highlight thus far is the $250.000 Bison City Stakes, for Canadians, that she won last August, and she may be getting closer to an even bigger win. Last month, she looked good when running second in the DEL Handicap, but the question now will be the distance. It’s absolutely not unusual for her to run seven, but it’s not what she has been running recently. F Geroux will need to make sure that she’s ready for the wire to come up when it does.
2- Scarlett Dream (Williams9, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- We’re starting to see more and more Williams9 entries in the biggest races, so kudos to the trainer, just in general for getting to this point. With this one, though, it was Arindel who did most of the work, leading the filly to multiple big wins, which included the Grade 1 CCA Oaks here last year. However, that trainer sold his stable off, and Williams9 paid $712.000 to pick her up. Her debut for her new trainer did not go well at all, but they have had time to get acclimated to one another more now.
3- Adrift At Sea (Threshold, ridden by J Lezcano)- This six-year-old mare is just a little shy of $1,000.000 in earnings over her 33-race career. Twelve of those have resulted in wins, so certainly, she knows how to get the job done at the end. She’s won three of her last six, and two of them are Grade 3’s: the Sugar Swirl at GP and the Colors at CD. Also had a strong effort in the Grade 1 Vinery Madison, where she was third in the type of field that she will be seeing here. Has had particularly good results when Lezcano has been aboard.
4- Shadow State (Smokey Stover, ridden by L Dettori)- Got off to a great start for her career, winning three of her first four races, including the Honeybee and the FG Oaks, and that would make her the post time favorite for the 2023 KYO. However, that did not go well, and she has only won once since: the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes in February, in a tight photo with Adrift At Sea. She never seemed to run a bad race early on, and perhaps is just unlikely that she does not have more wins at this point. Was dropped into an open allowance here last time out, where she was second.
5- Silly Relleno (Rock Creek, ridden by F Prat)- This will be the biggest race of her career, btu she comes into it hot as a winner of her last three. That began modestly, by taking an allowance at SUN, but she’s since won a Grade 3, the Whimsical Stakes at WO in May and then a Grade 2, Bed O Roses Handicap at AQU, so next in line would be a Grade 1. Seems she has been a horse that just needed a little longer to get into her best form, as her early placement shows that the trainer always had big hopes. Now, she is finally beginning to live up to them.
6- Avatar (Smokey Stover, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Last month at LA, Avatar nearly picked up a big win, but had to settle for second in the Grade 2 Great Lady M in a photo with Devils Bride. She’s been able to finish in either of the top two spots often for her career, with six wins and four seconds over her 14 career starts, but she is still looking to claim her first graded win. She’s claimed a couple of ungraded races, such as the $250.000 Latonia Stakes at TP in March. Works don’t jump out at you, so she knows how to pick it up on race day when it matters most.
7- Devils Bride (Alydar Stables, ridden by Mar Garcia)- Speaking of Devils Bride, she will be as close to Avatar in the starting gate as she was at the wire in the Great Lady M Stakes. However, she will look a little different this time around, as she will be running in the silks of Alydar Stables. The trainer picked her up for $650.000 eleven days after that race. It may end up being a very good purchase for Alydar Stables as the filly seems to be on top of her game right now. Prior to the Great Lady M Stakes, she just missed out in the Colors, losing the head bob to Adrift At Sea.
8- Chica Lugo (Mb Stables, ridden by M Franco)- Earned a big win in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom, and that led to her becoming part of Mb Stables. The trainer picked her up in private sales for $425.000, and now looks to take her even further for her career. Chica Lugo has made three starts since the sale, not winning any but still finishing second twice. Finished second at this distance in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff and beat several that she will be facing today. Smokin Cara, who is not here, was the winner of that. Last time out, she ran the same distance that she did in the Apple Blossom and was second in the Grade 3 Pitcher Stakes at MTH.
9- Spring Street (High Voltage, ridden by D E Centeno)- A horse that has been plagued by inconsistency throughout her career. She’s done some very nice things, like winning the Eight Belles in 2023, and being second in the Honeybee and the Princess Rooney. But just when you want to get excited about her, she has some poor outings, such as was the case in the Vinery Madison in April. Since that race, she’s been good, winning the Vagrancy Handicap then running second in the Chicago Stakes. Now, we see if she can make it three good ones in a row, and that has been hard for her, though not unprecedented. Needs a good run here.
10- Lady Sammyantha (The Sidley Stud, ridden by J R Velazquez)- It has been a great career for this six-year-old Ginger Haggis mare, with thirteen wins over 42 starts. None of those victories were any bigger than the one last fall, where she became a BC Champion in the Fillies and Mares Sprint. She also ran in the Ballerina that year, but only finished sixth. So, good things still could come to those who have pedestrian runs here. She’s running well right now, too, with wins in two of her last three: the Vinery Madison and the Chicago Stakes. Between them, she had an off race in the Derby City, which she will have from time to time.
11- Last Call (YME Stable, ridden by R Bejarano)- While Up She Flew might not be here to defend her crown, the 2022 Ballerina winner is here to try and become the third two-time winner of the race. In the Ballerina last year, Last Call was a non-factor, finishing eighth. Her 2022 win that got her into the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint saw her finish fifth in that race, but it would also be a while before she won again. In fact, she would not register another victory until this May, in an optional claimer at PRX. She made it two in a row by taking $125.000 Dancing Rene and will return to familiar territory here.
12- Grandest Lady (La Canada Racehorses, ridden by A Cedillo)- Drawing the outside post, Grandest Lady will look for a little revenge on Devils Bride and Avatar, as they were the two horses that finished better than her in her last race: The Great Lady M Stakes. Overall, she has been able to win twelve times over 30 starts, with her biggest wins all being in the $100.000 price range, both of the graded and ungraded varieties. One of them came two starts ago, in the Grade 3 Desert Stormer at SA. Still looking for that one win to truly be that signature victory, and based on form, don’t rule that out from coming right here.
Prediction: 7-3-10-6
— NS
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
