Jody's Pride being pointed to Ballerina off Ruffian win

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jody’s Pride, winner of Saturday’s Grade 2 Ruffian Stakes will be pointed to the Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 23, trainer Jorge Abreu said Sunday.

Abreu pointed to how well Jody’s Pride runs fresh, which is why he is planning to skip races like the Bed o’ Roses on June 6 and Honorable Miss on July 20.

“She runs better fresh, [Saturday] she ran a hard race,” Abreu said. “She came out of the race in good shape.”

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Jody’s Pride won the Ruffian off a nine-week layoff. As a 3-year-old, she won the Busher Stakes off a five-month layoff. The Ruffian was the first graded win for Jody’s Pride, who in 2023 finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

“It was good for her to win, she needed that,” Abreu said.

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