Blue Devil Racing Stable's homebred Come Dancing will try to sprint her way to back-to-back wins in the $300,000 Ballerina Stakes (G1) Aug. 8 at Saratoga Race Course.
The 6-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon will face a field that includes a Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner and a three-time grade 1 winner in the seven-furlong test.
"She really seems like she's thriving," said Come Dancing's trainer, Carlos Martin. "She loves Saratoga. She's put on some weight since her last race, and everything has gone pretty good. We haven't had any setbacks, haven't missed any training, so I'm excited about the opportunity for her to do something special and hopefully get back-to-back Ballerinas. That would be like a dream."
Come Dancing will attempt to become only the second horse to win multiple editions of the Ballerina. The only other horse to do it was Shine Again, who took the 2001 and 2002 renewals for Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens. Aside from Jerkens, only two trainers have won the Ballerina in consecutive years. Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas won in 1985-86 with Lady's Secret and Gene's Lady, respectively. Todd Pletcher won in 2011-12 with Hilda's Passion and Turbulent Descent, respectively.
"It's always exciting when you win a big race, especially at Saratoga with so much tradition and so many special times growing up, watching my father (Jose Martin) with Groovy win back-to-back Foregos (G2) and my grandfather (Frank "Pancho" Martin) and all the success they had here for years," Martin said. "It helps validate that the Martin name is still around. Unfortunately, they're not around anymore. I'm never going to be the trainer they were; they trained six champions between them. I'm not trying to be them, but I just like the fact that the name is still out there, and hopefully they're looking down somewhat proud and we can keep it going."
A multiple graded stakes winner of more than $1 million, Come Dancing has made just two starts in 2020. She finished off the board in her season debut, running 12th in the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) April 18 at Oaklawn Park when saddled by Lukas, and second as the favorite behind fellow Ballerina aspirant Victim of Love in the Vagrancy Handicap (G3) June 27 at Belmont Park.
Martin said he has not seen a drop-off in his stable star despite a largely skewed racing schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"She still has the enthusiasm," Martin said. "She was a little laid-back last year as a 5-year-old. She doesn't really get too hot and bothered, but she'll get a little bit excited if somebody goes by her galloping on the track or somebody goes inside of her. She's got those competitive juices. I would say she's pretty similar to last year. She knows when it's game time.
"She can work in a minute, like she did the other day, or she can go a little too fast. She'll fool you. She went in :57 and 4 before the Vagrancy. It just depends. I just think she's in a good place right now, mentally and physically. I think as they get older, the mental aspect is just as important as the conditioning aspect. You have to put a little bit more thought into it as far as keeping them fresh mentally as well as physically."
Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will ride Come Dancing from the outside Post 7.
Joel Politi's 2019 Kentucky Oaks winner, Serengeti Empress, will cut back in distance for the first time in over a year. The 4-year-old Alternation filly captured the March 14 Azeri Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn, ran 11th in the Apple Blossom, and finished fourth last out in the Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) June 27 at Churchill Downs.
"It was a strong effort that day in a race where she kind of just got run into the ground. I didn't think we did a very good job of kind of rating her speed," trainer Tom Amoss said of the Fleur de Lis. "Having said that, she's recovered well and she's training well.
"The move to shorten up to seven-eighths has a lot to do with last summer at Saratoga (when she was second in the Longines Test Stakes, G1). That was a really good seven-eighths race for her, so we feel that this might be something that we can use to our advantage. That was last year, and it's this year now. A lot will be made of what 'Serengeti' is right now compared to what she was last year at this time. That's a fair question. All I can tell you is that she is doing well, and we're very comfortable with trying her at seven-eighths."
Serengeti Empress last breezed a half-mile in :46.93 July 26 at Saratoga, the fastest of 74. Luis Saez will ride from Post 1.
"She's a really, really good work horse, so anything less than an attractive work pattern would be a cause for concern with her. She likes her job a lot," Amoss said. "I think her overall weight as well as her brightness of coat are as good as I've seen it this year, so Saratoga definitely agrees with her."
Kaleem Shah, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith's Bellafina will attempt to snag the fourth grade 1 win of her career in the Ballerina. Based in California with trainer Simon Callaghan, the 4-year-old Quality Road filly scored at the highest level at 2 and 3 and has already made three starts in 2020.
Bellafina won the May 17 Desert Stormer Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park and was second in her most recent race, the July 4 Great Lady M. Stakes (G2) at Los Alamitos Race Course. Jose Ortiz gets the call from Post 4.
The Ballerina serves as a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) Nov. 7 at Keeneland.
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 8, 2020, Race 7Entries: Ballerina S. (G1)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Serengeti Empress (KY) Luis Saez 122 Thomas M. Amoss 5/2 2 2Cookie Dough (FL) John R. Velazquez 118 Juan Alvarado 12/1 3 3Victim of Love (KY) Jose Lezcano 119 Todd M. Beattie 15/1 4 4Bellafina (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 121 Simon Callaghan 9/5 5 5Letruska (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 117 Fausto Gutierrez 5/1 6 6Pink Sands (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 119 Claude R. McGaughey III 10/1 7 7Come Dancing (KY) Javier Castellano 121 Carlos F. Martin 3/1
