Cicero Farms’ Kentucky-bred horse Hope Road will travel from California to compete in her fourth effort for a top-tier win in Saturday’s $500,000 Resorts World Casino Ballerina (G1) race, a seven-furlong sprint for female horses at Saratoga Race Course.
The Ballerina provides a ‘Win and You’re In’ entry into the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) on November 1 at Del Mar.
Tutored by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, the 4-year-old filly, a daughter of Quality Road, has competed in her last two races at Churchill Downs, finishing second to Kopion in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Derby City Distaff on the May 3 Kentucky Derby program and then placing third behind Two Sharp in the Grade 3 Winning Colors three weeks later.
In the Derby City Distaff, Hope Road followed the pace established by returning competitor Mystic Lake and took a narrow lead at the stretch call, but was unable to hold off the highly regarded Kopion, finishing three lengths behind and receiving a career-high and field-leading 104 Beyer Speed Figure for her performance. She then ran six furlongs in the Winning Colors, where she faced a difficult start and remained on the pace throughout.
Baffert mentioned he is excited to see a revitalized Hope Road competing in a race that her mother, Marley’s Freedom, triumphed in for this team in 2018.
I believe she competed in the major race on Derby Day and then returned, and I think she wasn’t at her best that day,” Baffert said. “But she’s been rested and is training well, so we’re giving her a chance. Her mother won this race a few years back, so hopefully she can experience similar fortune.
I believe this is what she needs,” Baffert said regarding the distance. “She has the capability to run two turns, but I think seven-eighths of a mile is an ideal distance for her.
Hope Road began her racing career with trainer John Sadler for her first three races before joining the Baffert stable in June. She won her first four races under the guidance of the trainer who has won the Triple Crown twice, securing convincing victories in a June maiden race, an August optional claimer, and the Grade 3 Torrey Pines in August at Del Mar. She then narrowly defeated opponents by half a length in the Grade 3 Bayakoa in November on the same track. At the end of the year, she placed fourth in the Grade 1 La Brea at Santa Anita Park and came back in February to finish second in the Grade 2 Santa Monica, leading throughout the race at Santa Anita.
Jose Ortiz will retrieve the horse from stall 9.
My Mane Squeeze, hailing from New York [post 8, Luis Saez], achieved a 100 Beyer Speed Figure after defeating the state-bred Johnstone by 6 1/4 lengths in her most recent race at the same course and distance under trainer Mike Maker. She took the lead at every stage of the race with regular jockey Luis Saez and remained in control throughout, finishing comfortably with a hand ride in a time of 1:22.66.
A homebred owned by William “Buck” Butler, who shares ownership of the 4-year-old Audible filly with WinStar Farm, My Mane Squeeze has won two graded stakes races at this distance, capturing the Grade 2 Eight Belles and Grade 3 Dogwood last year at Churchill Downs. Her impressive record of 17-7-2-5 also features Grade 1 placements at seven furlongs, including a third-place finish in both the local Test sponsored by Ticketmaster last year and the Madison in April at Keeneland.
The current NYTB horse of the year is the daughter of the stakes-winning mare In Spite of Mama and is the half-sister to Rotknee, a multiple stakes winner who placed in Grade 3 races, as well as stakes winner Mama’s Gold and multiple stakes-placed Lookin for Trouble.
Stonestreet Stables and Peter Leidel’s Zeitlos [post 6, Junior Alvarado] is making a return to the dirt surface following a narrow half-length finish in second place behind the impressive Future Is Now in the Grade 3 Caress, a 5 1/2-furlong sprint on the Mellon turf on July 19. After that race, Future Is Now went on to claim victory in the Listed Smart and Fancy at Saratoga on August 15.
Trained by Hall of Fame rider Steve Asmussen, the 5-year-old Curlin mare finished in the top positions in both of her dirt races this year. She started with a 1 1/2-length victory in the six-furlong Listed Skipat at Pimlico Race Course in May. Following that, she placed third behind Vahva in the Grade 2 Chicago on June 21 at Churchill Downs, finishing 3 1/4 lengths behind the runner-up and returning competitor Claret Beret. Her performance in the Caress race resulted in a career-high 97 Beyer figure.
She ran extremely well on the grass,” said Asmussen’s assistant Scott Blasi. “She gives her all, so it doesn’t matter which surface she’s on. This is a Grade 1 race, covering seven-eighths of a mile at Saratoga, so we’re going to give it our best shot.
Zeitlos aims to enhance her 20-9-5-2 record, which already features a victory in the six-furlong Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America held in October at Keeneland, along with three additional stakes triumphs. She has accumulated more than $1.1 million in total prize money.
WSS Racing’s Brightwork [post 2, John Velazquez] has already secured a Grade 1 victory on this track and distance, winning the 2023 Spinaway to conclude a four-race winning streak at the start of her career under trainer John Ortiz.
Ortiz mentioned that the 4-year-old daughter of Outwork has loved coming back to the Spa, where she also achieved a five-length victory in the Grade 3 Adirondack as part of her winning streak, along with the Grade 3 Prioress last summer. Her most recent local training sessions included a quick half-mile in 47.87 seconds on the main track on August 9.
We have been ensuring all items on our checklist are in order, and currently she is performing even better than we anticipated,” Ortiz said. “We brought her here because she clearly loves Saratoga. I think she enjoys the atmosphere as much as I do; it’s just a different feeling here. She senses that, and her training sessions have reflected it. In Kentucky, her workouts were average, but here, she has really raised her game.
Brightwork aims to regain her top performance following two underwhelming efforts to begin her current season. She came from a distant eighth place in the Chicago race, where she was in fourth position early on but struggled in the later stages.
Second in the Chicago was Miller Racing’s Claret Beret [post 5, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], who almost beat Grade 1 winner Vahva by three-quarters of a length in her graded stakes debut.
Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., the 4-year-old filly Not This Time began her racing career with trainer Brendan Walsh, competing in her first seven starts before being claimed for $62,500 following a six-length victory at Keeneland in October. After four races under trainer Greg Compton, she was privately bought and transferred to Joseph, Jr.’s stable. She delivered her best performance yet with her new team, dominating a one-mile handicap by 19 3/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park in May.
The first time we had her run was a mile, and I believe her optimal distance is likely the one-turn mile,” Joseph, Jr. said. “The decision to cut back was a bit uncertain when facing top-level horses [in the Chicago], but she performed well and made a move against Vahva. She appears to be in good condition. She benefits from proper spacing, and we’re pleased with her current status.
Joseph, Jr. will also have C2 Racing Stable and Stefania Farms’ multiple graded stakes winner Mystic Lake [post 1, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] in the race. This horse comes off consecutive stakes victories in the Memorial Day Sprint in May at Lone Star Park and the Dashing Beauty on July 17 at Delaware Park. The 4-year-old Mo Town dark bay secured a Grade 2 win in the Inside Information in January at Gulfstream Park and achieved two graded wins last year in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness at Pimlico and the Grade 2 Charles Town Oaks at its home track.
Filling out the field are dual graded stakes winner Scylla [post 7, Flavien Prat] under the guidance of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, Halina’s Forte [post 4, Joel Rosario], who won the last race at Grade 2 level in the Honorable Miss, trained by Phil Bauer, and Majestic Oops [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche], who finished in third place in a Grade 3 event, trained by Dan Ward.