Come Dancing fresh for Ballerina

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It was a testament to her first two races of the year that Come Dancing was favored over Midnight Bisou in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps 11 weeks ago at Belmont Park.

Come Dancing was no match for Midnight Bisou, finishing second, 3 1/2 lengths behind that filly, who is undefeated in five starts this year and who is one of the headliners in Saturday’s Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes on Saturday’s Saratoga card.

Meanwhile, Come Dancing cuts back to seven furlongs in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,0000 Ballerina as she tries to replicate her victories in the Grade 2 Ruffian and Grade 3 Distaff Handicap earlier in the year. The Ballerina is a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita.

Trainer Carlos Martin purposely freshened Come Dancing after the Phipps, sending her to the Fair Hill Training Center for a break before bringing her back and giving her a series of solid works at Saratoga.

“It’s gone like a dream. She’s just been sensational, which she routinely is,” Martin said. “Could it be possible that she could be training any better? I don’t think so.”

Come Dancing will have a new rider in Javier Castellano, who has been aboard for all five of her works at Saratoga. Martin’s biggest concern is drawing post 2, inside of the other speed in the race.

“I don’t want to gun her out of there and go 44-and-change and set it up for somebody else,” Martin said. “I want to give her her best shot, and her best shot is if she can sit outside somebody. Javier’s going to have to be the master and work that out.”

While there is no Midnight Bisou to tangle with, Come Dancing still has several formidable opponents in the Ballerina. Chief among them is Separationofpowers, who won the Grade 1 Test here last year and is coming off a 4 3/4-length victory in the Bed o’ Roses on June 7 at Belmont.

Trainer Chad Brown said Separationofpowers has thrived at Belmont this summer, which is why he left her down there to train before bringing her up a few days before this race. Though Separationofpowers won the Bed o’ Roses on the lead, Brown said, “I think her preferred style is having pace in front of her.”

The pace should be provided by Minit to Stardom and potentially Mia Mischief.

If the pace is hot and Come Dancing is part of it, then a potential upsetter is Special Relativity, who is 4 for 4 at Saratoga including a victory in the Shine Again Stakes here July 31. She has drawn the rail for the fourth straight race and third time at this meet.

Pacific Gale and Dawn the Destroyer finished second and third behind Come Dancing in the Distaff at Aqueduct.

The Ballerina goes as race 6 (2:23 p.m.) and is the first of seven graded stakes to be run on Saturday’s 13-race card.