2024 Ballerina Handicap Preview

A ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint is at stake in the Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina Handicap on Saturday, August 24 at Saratoga Race Course. Covering seven furlongs on dirt, the same distance as the Filly and Mare Sprint, the race drew a competitive field of eight to view for those spoils.

The favorite is Vahva, winner of the Derby City Distaff (G1) two starts back and the current leader of the division. However, holding her spot will be no easy feat against the likes of Scylla, Society, and more.

Originally run as the Ballerina Stakes starting in 1979, the race was run under handicap conditions between 1994 and 2004, and again from 2021 to the present. The race is always part of the Eclipse Award picture in the sprint division for fillies and mares. Some of its most important winners over the years include Davona Dale, Lady’s Secret, Dream Supreme, Shine Again, Maryfield, two-time champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive, and Echo Zulu.

Ballerina Information

• Race Date: Saturday, August 24
• Track: Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York
• Post Time: 4:20 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: seven furlongs on the dirt
• Age/Sex: four-year-olds and up, fillies and mares
• Where to Watch: FanDuel Racing and Fox
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2024 Ballerina Handicap Draw and Odds

This is the field for the 2024 Ballerina, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds for each horse.

Ballerina Handicap Prep Race Results

The eight fillies and mares entered in the Ballerina come out of five different races, four of which are graded stakes.

The first, second, and third-place horses in the Chicago Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs on June 22 all line up again for the Ballerina, with Vahva being the only last-out graded winner in the field. Vahva stalked and pounced to win that seven-furlong race by 1 ¼ lengths as the odds-on favorite, with Positano Sunset getting up by a neck over pacesetter Society for the place.

Two others, Accede and Munnys Gold, were last seen in the Honorable Miss (G2). Accede rallied to finish second, beaten only ¾ length in that six-furlong sprint on July 24 at Saratoga. Munnys Gold, who stalked the pace, flattened out to finish fourth, beaten three lengths. Shidabhuti also comes out of a sprint stakes in New York; she was last seen running on mildly for fourth in the Bed o’ Roses (G2) on June 15 at Aqueduct, 3 ½ lengths behind Accede. Scylla cuts back from a route; she was second beaten 2 ¾ lengths by Adare Manor in the Clement L. Hirsch (G1) at Del Mar on August 3.

The only runner coming out of a non-stakes race is Chi Town Lady. Though she is a Grade 1 winner over the course, in the 2022 Test (G1), she was last seen finishing third beaten 2 ¼ lengths in a one-mile allowance race at Saratoga on July 26.

Ballerina Handicap Contenders

These are the eight entrants in the 2024 Ballerina, in order of their post positions:

1. Positano Sunset: Though this four-year-old filly has yet to win at the graded-stakes level, she is going the right way. She won the ungraded seven-furlong Audubon Oaks last year—and the next time she covered seven furlongs, she ran a career-best, a second-place finish behind divisional leader Vahva in the Chicago. She has some good races from relatively inside posts, and she is versatile enough to stalk or rally from a bit further back. She’ll need her very best, but if she finds it, she can well outrun her odds.
2. Chi Town Lady: She upset the Test over this course and distance two years ago, but has yet to run back to that standard since. Perhaps the flat mile out of the chute at Saratoga was a little long, and she stands to benefit from this cutback in trip. However, she has yet to run a race that makes her competitive if her opposition brings their best to this, and it would be a surprise for her to take that kind of a step up in this.
3. Vahva: The clear leader of the filly and mare sprint division, Vahva is half a length from perfect in her last five starts, and the only horse to beat her in that time was Alva Starr, who would be the other horse at the top of the division had she not been catastrophically injured in a workout last month. She has tactical speed, she has never been out of the exacta in seven races at the distance, and she can string good effort after good effort. It also doesn’t hurt that her trainer, Cherie DeVaux, is having a career year. In short, she is the horse to beat.
4. Society: Expect her to gun it to the front and dare the rest to catch her. The thing is, she still has to prove she is good enough to steal it at this level, over this shorter distance: her Grade 1 win came in the two-turn Cotillion in 2022. She has some upside in that the Chicago was her first start since the Breeders’ Cup, so she could be fitter in her second start of the year. However, someone always catches her when she is sprinting at this class, and she will probably not be a big enough price to bet that things will be any different this time around.
5. Scylla: She looked like an up-and-comer in the route division, but could not beat Adare Manor over that foe’s local course in the Clement Hirsch earlier in the month. A cut back to a sprint is an interesting tactic, since she is bred to run all day—she’s by Tapit out of Close Hatches, a full sister to Tacitus. However, she broke her maiden going six furlongs and romped in first- and second-level allowances at the one-turn mile at Churchill, making an attempt at seven interesting based on that form. She does have the class and tactical speed to be interesting from a “future potential” perspective, though as the second betting choice, there is a good chance she won’t be quite the price to be interesting from a wagering perspective this time.
6. Shidabhuti: She did win a fairly weak running of the Distaff Stakes (G3) three starts back over this distance at Aqueduct, but has been beaten in her last two, including a third behind Accede in the Bed o’ Roses two starts ago at Aqueduct. Her best chance is the likes of Munnys Gold, Society, and perhaps Accede go unwisely fast early, setting her up to clunk on late for a piece after they fade. However, that isn’t the most likely scenario and even if that happens, she’d have to clunk past some other very good horses.
7. Accede: She doesn’t have a whole lot of seven-furlong experience, but her two races at the distance have been good: a third in the Eight Belles (G2) last year and a win in the Bed o’ Roses two back. She has the speed to be involved early, but she has the tactical versatility to stalk if needed, as well as the grit to fight if the pace is contested. This will be a class test, as she has yet to face sprinters like Vahva. But, this four-year-old filly is going the right way, she can improve on the stretch-out from a six-furlong try last out, and she has some price potential.
8. Munnys Gold: She hasn’t trained on as the monster she looked like at age two, but she’s still a pretty good horse. Pace seems to be her major question: she does her best if she can set, or at least attend, the pace. The outside post is a good one for her, as that puts her in the driver’s seat against other horses with front-end gas. However, she has to prove she can stay on seven furlongs against horses like this—her only win at the distance was a blowout, but it came against Florida-breds last year. Take a shot with her if a massive speed bias begins to arise, but other than that, expect her to be a pace factor but not a major threat at the end.

Ballerina Handicap FAQ

Q: When is the Ballerina?

A: The Ballerina Handicap happens Saturday, August 24, at 4:20 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Q: Where is the Ballerina?

A: The Ballerina will be run at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is the 10th on Saratoga’s 14-race Travers Stakes day card.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Ballerina?

A: Shug McGaughey leads all trainers with five wins in the Ballerina, most recently in 1999 with Furlough. McGaughey is still active, but does not have a runner in the 2024 edition of the Ballerina. Among trainers who do have a starter this year, Todd Pletcher leads with three. He can make it four if Munnys Gold prevails.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Ballerina?

A: Vahva is the even-money morning-line favorite for the Ballerina. Given her consistency and her proven Grade 1-quality talent, she should hold as the favorite through post time.

Q: Who is the best Ballerina jockey?

A: John Velazquez leads all riders with five wins in the Ballerina, most recently with Gamine in 2021. Velazquez can extend his record this year if he guides Munnys Gold to victory.

Q: Who won the Ballerina in 2023?

A: Last year’s Ballerina was won by Echo Zulu for trainer Steve Asmussen and jockey Florent Geroux. Asmussen returns this year with Society, who will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione. Geroux does not have a call this year.

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