NEW ORLEANS – Bella Ballerina remains unbeaten – but just barely.
Passed in upper stretch by Luv Your Neighbor after leading from the start, Bella Ballerina kept pushing, coming back along the rail in the last half-furlong to win the Rachel Alexandra Stakes by a half-length on Saturday at Fair Grounds.
Bella Ballerina added the Rachel Alexandra, her first start since Nov. 29, to victories in a Keeneland maiden sprint in October and the Golden Rod Stakes, a 1/16-mile contest at Churchill that capped her 2-year-old season.
A half-sister to Kentucky Oaks winner Pretty Mischievous, Bella Ballerina earned 50 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Oaks, which is capped at 14 runners, and, regardless of what she does in her next start, will easily get into the most important race of the year for 3-year-old fillies.
It did not come easy, but Brendan Walsh, who trains Bella Ballerina for her breeder, Godolphin, wanted it that way.
“I loved the way she fought, and I loved the way that she had to fight, because I think it should move her forward,” Walsh said. “I think she got tired, but it’s good that she got tired. She could have got beat today and we’d have left satisfied.”
Front-runners, especially those cleaving to the rail, dominated dirt racing here Saturday, and it’s fair to wonder if the course profile aided Bella Ballerina’s determination. And some might have viewed the result as Luv Your Neighbor handing the Rachel Alexandra back to Bella Ballerina after taking the race to her at the quarter pole.
Bella Ballerina broke alertly, getting to the lead and the fence before the first turn while going her first quarter-mile in 23.40. She went the half in 46.98, but even while dictating tempo, jockey Tyler Gaffalione didn’t like what he was feeling.
“She was fine going around the first turn, but as soon as we hit the backside and she switched leads, she took off on me,” Gaffalione said. “I didn’t want to fight her, but I didn’t want her to do too much.”
Luv Your Neighbor, racing for the first time in blinkers, was engaged from the start under new jockey Luis Saez. She, too, broke well and went nearly up to Bella Ballerina’s flank before dropping a length or two behind at the seven-eighths pole. Saez down the backstretch kept Luv Your Neighbor’s head right at Bella Ballerina’s tail before subtly edging closer as soon as the two hit the far turn.
At the three-eighths marker the lead was down to a neck; at the five-sixteenths Luv Your Neighbor had drawn nearly even; turning for home at the quarter pole, nothing separated the two fillies; and at the eighth pole, Luv Your Neighbor had perhaps a neck on Bella Ballerina, who was on her wrong lead. But by the sixteenth pole, roles had reversed, Bella Ballerina surging, Luv Your Neighbor waiting. The 4-5 favorite, Bella Ballerina got the money.
“Luis said he thought he was going to win for sure,” trainer Michael Stidham said. “Brutal beat.”
Luv Your Neighbor had finished second three times in a row, including in the Silverbulletday last month. Thus, the addition of blinkers – same result. Luv Your Neighbor earned 25 Oaks points, boosting her total to 40 and likely getting her into the race.
Third-place Just Singing checked in 2 1/2 lengths behind Luv Your Neighbor, but raced from the rear of the field, dead against the bias, while making her first start since a third in the Golden Rod. She was the only horse closing, ran well in defeat, and got 15 Oaks points.
“I was really happy with the way she ran, especially over this track,” trainer Kent Sweezy said.
Powered by Family in her third start finally broke decently and showed positional pace, but to no avail. Fading in the stretch, she finished fourth (10 points) but was more than six lengths out of third while besting the final points-scorer, Classic Glide, who looked nothing like an Oaks horse but got five qualifying points. Majestical, the race’s disappointment, brought up the rear. Dancin In Old Town and Agrippina were scratched.
Bella Ballerina ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.38 and paid $3.80. She’s by Street Sense out of Pretty City Dancer, by Tapit, and Walsh said he’s not yet sure what her next start will be. Stidham penciled Luv Your Neighbor into the Fair Grounds Oaks, as did Sweezy with the Florida-based Just Singing. Bella Ballerina could show up in the Oaks or await the Ashland the first weekend of April at Keeneland. Walsh and the Godolphin team will assess in coming days with this talented filly, still undefeated, but very much tested Saturday.
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