Centre Court targets Ballston Spa
The Grade 1 winner Centre Court, who finished last as the favorite in last year’s Grade 1 Diana, is back at Saratoga and pointing to the Grade 2, $250,000 Ballston Spa on Aug. 23, trainer Rusty Arnold said.
Centre Court, a six-time graded stakes winner, finished fifth in the Distaff Turf Mile as the 7-5 favorite at Churchill Downs on May 3. According to Arnold, Centre Court lost a shoe in the race “and beat up her foot pretty bad.”
“All we did was give her a month off to get her foot right, and it looks right,” Arnold said. “We’ll get a few races in her. She’ll be retired at the end of November or [sooner] if she doesn’t do right.”
On Wednesday, Centre Court worked five furlongs in 1:01.40 over the Oklahoma turf course, just her second breeze since her foot healed.
“I thought she worked well. She got a little tired,” Arnold said.