LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tom Amoss always keeps a close eye on his 2019 Kentucky Oaks heroine Serengeti Empress – her stall is visible from his office. He watched her even more closely than usual following her gutsy win in the Grade 1 Ballerina Stakes on Aug. 8 at Saratoga, prepared to give her additional time between races if she needed it following that effort. But all the signs Serengeti Empress showed his practiced eye told him she was ready to come right back four weeks later to face a salty field in the Grade 1, $500,000 Derby City Distaff for female sprinters Saturday at Churchill Downs. “I think [the Ballerina] was one of the best performances she’s ever given me,” Amoss said, high praise for the five-time graded stakes winner. “Sometimes when that happens, you know you have to be really careful about how quickly you bring them back to race again, because there can be a regression. Keeping that in mind, I keep a close eye on her all the time, and she’s doing great. “It’s a tough decision, because it’s either run this weekend at Churchill Downs, or just wait for the Breeders’ Cup, which is not until November. We think we’re better off getting another race in her rather than waiting all that time.” :: Want to get your Past Performances for free? Click to learn more. Serengeti Empress can carry her speed and is a multiple graded stakes winner around two turns, most notably taking last year’s Kentucky Oaks. She also finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. But when allowed to flaunt her speed in an elongated sprint, she shines against stellar competition. Last year, she finished second by a half-length to dual Eclipse Award champion Covfefe in the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga. This year, she set a hot pace in the Grade 1 Ballerina, running the half in 43.74 seconds, before holding off the classy Bellafina by a length. Both those races were at the seven-furlong distance of the Derby City Distaff. Tyler Gaffalione will be aboard Serengeti Empress for the first time Saturday, and the duo has drawn post 8 in the field of 10, meaning she will come out running to clear any speed inside of her. Defending Derby City Distaff winner Mia Mischief, another Churchill Downs-based millionaire, drew the rail under Ricardo Santana Jr. and will be looking to get away sharply as well. Mia Mischief, who is trained by Steve Asmussen, is coming off a close second to Guarana in the Grade 1 Madison Stakes at Keeneland. The Kentucky-based fillies Serengeti Empress, Mia Mischief, and Bell’s the One – winner of the Grade 3 Winning Colors at Churchill and third in the Madison – are defending their home track against the California-based shippers Bellafina and Ce Ce, both multiple Grade 1 winners. Bellafina is a three-time Grade 1 winner in California around both one and two turns, and finished second in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita, beaten three-quarters of a length by Covfefe. Bellafina has been vulnerable when she has to ship, including fourth-place finishes in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and 2019 Kentucky Oaks, both around two turns at Churchill. Trained by Simon Callaghan, Bellafina has turned in her best out-of-state performances at Saratoga, finishing third to Covfefe and Serengeti Empress in the 2019 Test and, most recently, second to Serengeti Empress in the Ballerina. Ce Ce won her first three starts this year off an eight-month layoff, taking a 6 1/2-furlong Santa Anita allowance, the Grade 1 Beholder Mile there, and shipping to Oaklawn to win the Grade 1 Apple Blossom at 1 1/16 miles. She then finished third in both the Grade 2 Santa Maria and Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch, both at 1 1/16 miles in California. “She’s had a very good couple of days here,” trainer Michael McCarthy said. “Very pleased with what I saw from her the other day. Cutting back to seven-eighths, I think, will be beneficial for her. It looks like she’s going to get a nice pace setup.”