Ballerina d’Oro (outside) breaks her maiden Sep. 8, 2024, at Kentucky Downs (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
Mary Eddy/NYRA Press Office
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Rodeo Creek Racing’s Ballerina d’Oro looks to improve off two consecutive graded stakes placings when she takes on Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Gazelle, a nine-furlong test for sophomore fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Gazelle [Race 9], one of five stakes slated for Saturday, is New York’s final stop on the road to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, awarding the top-five finishers with 100-50-25-15-10 qualifying points towards the prestigious test on the First Friday in May.
Saturday’s loaded card is headlined by the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino, a 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby qualifier in Race 12. The 13-race card also features the Grade 2, $300,000 Carter presented by NYRA Bets in Race 10, the Grade 3, $175,000 Distaff in Race 7 and the Listed $150,000 Excelsior in Race 11. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.
Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, Ballerina d’Oro enters from a stalking third-place effort in the one-mile Grade 2 Davona Dale on March 1 at Gulfstream Park.
“She’s had a nice winter. Her comeback race was altered a bit due to a temperature midway through the winter, but nevertheless she got back on track at Gulfstream,” Brown said.
In the Davona Dale, she tracked in last-of-5 early under Tyler Gaffalione, and remained within two lengths of the pacesetting Madeline’s Promise as the half-mile elapsed in 47.38 seconds over the fast footing. Gaffalione angled his charge wide through the turn and Ballerina d’Oro responded to urging, but could not make up enough ground in the stretch and was defeated 2 3/4 by The Queens M G while nosed out of place by La Cara.
Brown said Ballerina d’Oro, who currently has 16.25 Oaks points, raced a bit closer to the pace than usual to keep contact with the short field.
“That track favors speed and getting her back to one turn, she was against it. She did finish up well and galloped out super,” Brown said. “She’s moved forward nicely. I’ve liked her last couple of works quite a bit, so she’ll see if she can stamp her ticket to the Kentucky Oaks.”
The gray daughter of Medaglia d’Oro made her first three outings over turf, including a second-out graduation going one mile in September at Kentucky Downs, and an off-the-board finish in the Grade 2 Jessamine at Keeneland. She returns to the scene of her dirt debut in December when adding blinkers for the nine-furlong Grade 2 Demoiselle, a visually impressive effort that saw her draw the outside post in the 10-horse field and close from last to finish just one length behind the victorious Muhimma.
“She ran a good race from a difficult post there in her first start on the dirt,” Brown said of the Demoiselle effort. “She had a lot of things I was throwing at her at once and she handled it quite well.”
A $320,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, Ballerina d’Oro is out of the Tapit mare In the Moonlight, a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Wilburn, stakes-winner La Appassionata, and graded stakes-producing broodmares A.P. Sonata and Venetian Sonata.
Dylan Davis, aboard for the Demoiselle, has the call from post 2.
C2 Racing, Ken Reimer, Paul Braverman, Timothy Pinch and Bradley Kent’s New York-bred Early On [post 4, Javier Castellano] enters off three weeks’ rest after a close second in the 1 1/16-mile Virginia Oaks on March 15 for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.
The Union Rags bay made her stakes debut after a fourth-out graduation going 1 1/16 miles on February 5 at Gulfstream Park, her first effort beyond sprint distances. In the Virginia Oaks, she was bumped at the start before showing her usual stalking tactics under Flavien Prat and saving ground before making a five-wide bid in the turn. She showed an impressive turn-of-foot and steadily closed in on Fondly in the stretch, but came up a half-length shy of her game rival. She earned 25 Kentucky Oaks points for the effort.
Early On, who scratched out of the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks on Saturday in favor of this spot, was bred in the Empire State by John Lauriello. She was purchased for $20,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale and is out of the Distorted Humor mare Sally O’Brien – a half-sister to multiple stakes-winner Lipstick City.
Repole Stable’s Vanilla Sundae [post 3, Manny Franco] steps up for her first test against winners off a dominant 15 3/4-length graduation at third asking going one mile on February 27 here.
Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the Gun Runner filly was in command throughout under returning rider Manny Franco, widening her advantage at every point of call to canter home an easy winner in a final time of 1:39.84. The effort, which was her first over a fast track after two starts over off going, earned a career-best 79 Beyer.
VANILLA SUNDAE dominates the opener to break her maiden with @jockeyfranco aboard for trainer @PletcherRacing. pic.twitter.com/N1nplElTPg
— NYRA () (@TheNYRA) February 27, 2025
Pletcher said he is looking forward to stretching out the filly to two turns.
“She was sort of a slow filly to come around – took a lot of work at the gate before her debut. She was just a little bit slow to put it all together, but this last start it seemed like she made a big move forward,” Pletcher said. “Hopefully, the stretch out to two-turns and added distance will prove to her liking as well. It seems like she’s starting to figure things out now.”
Pletcher added he expects his filly’s speed will help carry her to the front again.
“I think going long she’ll find herself forwardly placed,” Pletcher said. “I don’t think she has to have the lead, but she has enough natural speed in a route race to put herself in good contention early.”
Vanilla Sundae was a $150,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the winning Empire Maker mare Vanilla Bean Back, a half-sister to dual graded stakes-winner Canoodling. Her second dam, Miz Kella, is a full-sister to 2012 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Shanghai Bobby.
Godolphin’s Kentucky homebred Deloraine [post 5, Mike Smith] switches back to dirt for trainer Eoin Harty on the heels of a third-place finish in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Florida Oaks on March 8 over the Tampa Bay Downs green.
The Candy Ride bay raced on the inside in sixth-of-11 under Jesus Lopez Castanon and was 5 1/4 lengths back at the three-quarters call before being swung four-wide into the lane to make her bid for the front. She showed a useful turn-of-foot down the stretch, but came up 4 1/2 lengths shy of the victorious Nitrogen. The effort was awarded a career-best 77 Beyer.
Deloraine has made four of her six outings over turf or synthetic, including a third-out graduation traveling one mile over the Presque Isle Downs all-weather surface in October and an 8 1/4-length optional claiming romp going 1 1/16 miles in December over the Tampa lawn. Her two dirt outings produced a third in a one-mile maiden in August at Horseshoe Indianapolis and a distant third-place finish in the one-mile and 40-yard Listed Suncoast in February at Tampa where she earned six Oaks points.
Out of the unraced Discreet Cat mare Elaine’s Cat, Deloraine is a half-sister to the Harty-trained Grade 3-placed Remuda. Her second dam is 2001 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff-winner Unbridled Elaine, who also produced multiple graded stakes-winner Etched and Grade 3-winner Out of Bounds.
Dual graded stakes-placed Liam in the Dust [post 8, Joel Rosario] has entered for trainer Rodolphe Brisset, who said the filly is “50-50” to run in this race as he also eyes an allowance on Sunday at Keeneland.
“I just want to be in there and take a look at it,” Brisset said. “We’ve got another spot we’ll enter in, too, and decide a little closer to the weekend.”
Campaigned by Storyteller Racing and Michael Schroeck, the Liam’s Map chestnut looks to dust herself off from a puzzling off-the-board finish in the one-mile Listed Busher Invitational on March 1 here that left Brisset scratching his head.
“What I do know is that both her bad races have been when she’s on the inside. I did give her a break and walked her for three weeks and jogged her for two. I just put a line through it and don’t even try to overthink it,” Brisset said.
Liam in the Dust flashed her talents with two graded placings in her six starts, including a narrow second to La Cara in the Grade 3 Pocahontas in September at Churchill Downs and a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Demoiselle. She also finished a closing second to Muhimma in a seven-furlong optional claimer in November at Churchill.
Completing the field are a trio of maiden winners in Edward Hudson, Jr. and Lynne Hudson’s Pure Beauty [post 7, Samuel Marin], who enters from a third in a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer on March 6 at Gulfstream Park for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey; FMQ Stables’ Diriyah [post 6, Jose Lezcano], a last-out fifth in the 1 1/16-mile Main Line on March 4 at Parx for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr.; and Richard E. Harris’ Late Nite Call [post 1, Tyler Conner] for trainer Niall Saville.
