Saratoga: Champion Ce Ce draws the rail in Sunday's Ballerina
Bo Hirsch’s Ce Ce is following a similar script to the one that earned her a year-end championship in 2021, the first of trainer Michael McCarthy’s career. The only change in the plot McCarthy would like to make for 2022 is a victory in Sunday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina Handicap at Saratoga Race Course.
The 44th running of the seven-furlong Ballerina for fillies and mares 3 and up is a "win and you’re in" qualifier to the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint Nov. 5 at Keeneland. It headlines a 10-race program that includes the $135,000 Better Talk Now for 3-year-olds going a mile on the grass in race 8.
Now 6, Ce Ce won last year’s Princess Rooney (G2) at Gulfstream Park to earn a berth in the Breeders’ Cup, then ran third behind Gamine in the Ballerina before reeling off wins in the Chillingworth (G3) at Santa Anita and Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Del Mar, beating Gamine to unseat her as North America’s top female sprinter.
“We’re kind of following the same pattern we followed last year. I thought she ran well at Saratoga last year and I’m looking forward to having another crack at it again this year,” the Southern California-based McCarthy said. “She obviously ran into a very good filly in Gamine but she showed up, and I think she’s doing just as well this year if not better than she was last year at this time.”
Impressive as she was winning last year’s Princess Rooney, Ce Ce was even more so last month in a 6 1/2-length romp July 2 that matched her career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 101. It was the 10th win from 20 lifetime starts for the daughter of Elusive Quality to go along with nearly $2.3 million in purse earnings.
“She’s just been a model of consistency. It seems like she brings her ‘A’ game every time, even when things are up against her. Her race at Gulfstream last start was just fantastic,” McCarthy said. “She puts a lot into her training. She knows when it’s race day. She’s just special.”
Regular rider Victor Espinoza has the call on Ce Ce, who drew the rail in the field of seven at topweight of 125 pounds.
“She’s just been fantastic for us and for what she’s done – Eclipse champion, Breeders’ Cup champion, big races across the country. She’s kept herself relevant for basically three and a half seasons now,” McCarthy said. “I’ve said it before, we felt my colleagues being able to experience having a mare like her at least once in their lifetime, it’s certainly not lost on us how good she is.”
Frank Fletcher Racing Operations Inc.’s Lady Rocket will be chasing her fifth career stakes win, third in graded company and first in a Grade 1 in the Ballerina. The front-running 5-year-old mare exits a gate-to-wire 2 3/4-length triumph in the Chicago (G3) June 25 at Churchill Downs under Ricardo Santana Jr., who returns to ride from post position 4 at 120 pounds.
“She’s doing great. She’s training really, really well. She likes Saratoga. We need to break through with a Grade 1 win, and this looks like a good opportunity,” trainer Brad Cox said. “It’s a good race and she has to step up, but I think she has the ability so we’ll see how it goes.”
Bella Sofia is looking to bounce back in the Ballerina after running third as the favorite in the Honorable Miss (G2) on July 27. The 4-year-old Awesome Patriot filly won the Test (G1) last summer at Saratoga and began this year with victories in the Vagrancy Handicap (G3) on May 14 and Bed o’ Roses (G2) June 10, both at Belmont.
“She came back from two big races at Belmont and hopefully she can give us another big race,” trainer Rudy Rodriguez said. “I’m happy the way she is. She came back good from the last race and she worked a couple times, very nice. She seems happy and she’s eating good, and that’s all we can ask for.”
Bella Sofia will carry 123 pounds, including jockey Luis Saez, from post position 5.