Saratoga's Honorable Miss next on Come Dancing's path to Breeders' Cup

Blue Devil Racing Stable's homebred Come Dancing worked a bullet half-mile in :46.68 on Saturday on a fast Saratoga main track in preparation for the Grade 2, $150,000 Honorable Miss Handicap on Sept. 6 at the Spa.

Trained by Carlos Martin, the 6-year-old Malibu Moon mare hit the main track, before a brief but heavy rainstorm, with Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the irons. Regular pilot, Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, will be at Churchill Downs the weekend of the Honorable Miss to ride Caracaro in the Kentucky Derby.

"We got lucky,” Martin said. “We got out there around 7 a.m. She went solo with Irad Ortiz, Jr. who is going to ride her because Javier is out of town. Irad said she was moving sound and happy and, believe it or not, he thought she did that easy.

"She was just cruising. It was something beautiful to see. It's one thing to go quick and then stagger home in 24. She went 12, 12, 11 and change and then 11 and 1. She just does it gradually and so naturally."

Come Dancing established herself as one of the top older female sprinters in the country last year by winning four of six starts, including scores in the Distaff Handicap (G3) in April at Aqueduct, the Ruffian (G2) in May at Belmont Park, a first career Grade 1 win in the Ballerina in August at the Spa and a 3¼-length romp in the Gallant Bloom (G2) in September at Belmont.

Come Dancing has raced three times this season with her best result coming in a runner-up effort in the Vagrancy (G3) in June at Belmont. Last out, the dark bay was an even fourth when attempting to defend her title in the Ballerina on Aug. 8.

"He took her back off the pace, which I was fine with, as they were going in 21 and change, and it seemed like she was making that rally on the outside,” Martin said. “For a second, I thought she was going to go right by them. She was wide, and I didn't mind that, but Javier said she was getting in a little bit.

"She's a hundred percent sound and was straight as a string this morning. But it looked like in mid-stretch last time she came in a little bit and tried to split horses and then Bellafina came in on her a little bit and she had to check. She found herself in the middle of those horses after being seven-wide. He then took her back outside and she just missed being third."

Martin said he remains confident in Come Dancing's ability to return to last fall's stellar form.

"People may say she's lost a step, but she was beaten three lengths in a Grade 1, and she was wide the whole way with a 92 Beyer," said Martin regarding the Ballerina effort. "I'm not ready to throw in the towel and say she cannot come back to her best form."

Martin said the swift mare could consider defending her title in the $150,000 Gallant Bloom Handicap (G2) on Oct. 3 at Belmont or the $200,000 Thoroughbred Club of America (G2) on Oct. 3 at Keeneland as they chart a course for their long-term goal of the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

"If she runs big in the Honorable Miss, we'll have to decide if we want to go to Keeneland and get that prep a month before the Breeders' Cup or if we want to stay home," Martin said. "If she's thriving, I'd think we'd want to keep her in action instead of waiting two months for the Breeders' Cup.

"It's something we'd have to talk about. She does run well fresh, usually. But if she's sound and doing good and she only has two races left in her career – and she is definitely calling it a career at that point – I'd be inclined to keep her on a once-a-month schedule up to the Breeders' Cup."