The Ballerina Handicap is a

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and

mares A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four y ...

that are three years old or older over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt track scheduled annually in August at Saratoga Race Course in

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

. The event currently carries a purse of $500,000.

History

The inaugural running of the Ballerina Stakes was 20 August 1979 and was won by the Ogden Phipps-owned three-year-old filly Blitey, who was ridden by the US Hall of Fame jockey

Ángel Cordero Jr. Ángel Tomás Cordero Jr. (born: November 8, 1942) is one of the leading Thoroughbred horse racing jockeys of the late 20th-century and the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the United States' Racing Hall of Fame. He led all jockeys in win ...

on a muddy track in a time of 1:23. The race is named for Howell E. Jackson's filly, Ballerina, who won the 1954 inaugural running of the Maskette Stakes, run today as the

Go For Wand Handicap The Go For Wand Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race established in 1954 for fillies and mares age three and up. Raced in the fall, it is a Grade III race (Grade I before 2010) on dirt at a distance of one mile. Inaugurated in 1954 at ...

. In 1981 the event was classified as Grade III, upgraded to Grade II in 1984 and to Grade I in 1988. The sudden rise in stature of the event was due to the quality of runners who won this event and continued to win important Grade I races. In particular the winner of the second running in 1980 was the 1979 US Champion Three-Year-Old Filly Davona Dale, the 1983 winner

Ambassador of Luck {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Ambassador of Luck , image = , caption = , sire = What Luck , grandsire = Bold Ruler , dam = Detente , damsire = Dark Ruler , sex = Mare , foaled = 1979 , country = United States , colour = Bay , br ...

who went onto become the US Champion Older Dirt Female Horse and Lady's Secret, the 1985 winner as a three-year-old, who in the following year would win the

Breeders' Cup Distaff The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or ...

. The only dual winner of the event, Shine Again failed by a nose to win a third time as a six-year-old when she was beaten by the 13-1 outsider Harmony Lodge in 2003. The event continues to be a part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series with the winner of the Ballerina Stakes automatically qualifying for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

Records

Speed record: *7 furlongs: 1:21.09 – Lady Talk (2004) Margins: * lengths – Hilda's Passion (2011) Most wins: * 2 – Shine Again (2001, 2002) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

: * 5 – John Velazquez (2005, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2021) Most wins by a trainer: * 5 – C. R. McGaughey III (1984, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1999) Most wins by an owner: * 2 – Ogden Phipps (1979, 1999) * 2 – Eugene V. Klein (1985, 1986) * 2 – Kinsman Stable (1993, 2000) * 2 – Bohemia Stable (2001, 2002)

Winners

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Horse races in New York (state) Sprint category horse races for fillies and mares Grade 1 stakes races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1979 Saratoga Race Course Breeders' Cup Challenge series 1979 establishments in New York (state)

History

Records

Winners

See also

References