Five-year-old Ways and Means was the odds-on favorite on the morning line in the Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina Stakes, and she was the odds-on favorite when the field of 10 broke from the gate, and she ran exactly how an odds-on favorite should, with confidence and ease, hitting the wire 5 ½ lengths in front for her fifth graded stakes win, four of them coming at Saratoga Race Course.
The bay mare broke from post 7 under regular rider Flavien Prat, who kept her off the rail and several lengths off the pace in the early going of the 7-furlong Ballerina. With little urging from Prat, Ways and Means advanced on the horses in front of her, swinging wide around the final turn. Prat offered her some encouragement at the 3/16ths pole, rousing her to open up on her rivals, and open up she did for her seventh lifetime win from 13 starts.
"I was traveling well behind the pace, and when I got to the turn I didn't want to move too soon," said Prat, "but she naturally came with me and was wanting to go, so I kind of let her creep up to the pace. After that, when we turned from home, she responded.
"I think she has always shown how good she is. I think before it was more of a raw talent, but [now] she has the ability to be a bit more push-button. So [with] the mix of the talent and that, she made a good run today."
The Ballerina was Prat's fifth win on the Travers Day card.
#pace #lengths
The bay mare broke from post 7 under regular rider Flavien Prat, who kept her off the rail and several lengths off the pace in the early going of the 7-furlong Ballerina. With little urging from Prat, Ways and Means advanced on the horses in front of her, swinging wide around the final turn. Prat offered her some encouragement at the 3/16ths pole, rousing her to open up on her rivals, and open up she did for her seventh lifetime win from 13 starts.
"I was traveling well behind the pace, and when I got to the turn I didn't want to move too soon," said Prat, "but she naturally came with me and was wanting to go, so I kind of let her creep up to the pace. After that, when we turned from home, she responded.
"I think she has always shown how good she is. I think before it was more of a raw talent, but [now] she has the ability to be a bit more push-button. So [with] the mix of the talent and that, she made a good run today."
The Ballerina was Prat's fifth win on the Travers Day card.
#pace #lengths
2 days ago
