Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Distance favors By the Moon
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. –Paul as silver lining and By the Moon have the class to compete in graded stakes at six furlongs or seven, but they each have a preference.
In the six-furlong Honorable Miss on July 26, Paulassilverlining got up to win by a neck, while By the Moon finished third, beaten threequarters of a length. On Saturday, the seven-furlong distance of the Grade 1 Ballerina tips the scales a bit more in By the Moon’s favor.
Michelle Nevin trained both fillies during their 2-, 3-, and 4- year-old seasons before Juddmonte Farms bought Paul as silver lining as a prospective mate for Arrogate. She is undefeated in three starts this year for trainer Chad Brown – the Grade 2 Honorable Miss, the seven-furlong Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs, and the seven-furlong Madison at Keeneland. Her wins this year have all come by a neck.
“The seven furlongs stretches her just a touch,” Brown said. “It’s about her limit, but she has won two Grade 1 races for us at the distance. She’s a fighter. She has tremendous heart.”
By the Moon likes to settle in her races and is better at seven furlongs. She was slowly getting to Paul as silver lining and runner-up Finley’ s lucky charm in the Honorable Miss and seemed to be finding her best stride at the finish.
“It was a little short for her,” Nevin said. “Seven furlongs is what she probably wants the most.”
In last year’s Ballerina, By the Moon finished second, beaten a half-length by Haveyougoneaway. A five-time stakes winner, By the Moon scored a repeat win in the Grade 3 Bed o’ Roses, a seven-furlong stakes at Belmont Park, in her start prior to the Honorable Miss. She won the Grade 1 Frizette as a 2-year-old.
By the Moon and Paulassilverlining have raced against each other four times, with Paulassilverlining placing higher on three occasions.
“They’ve run against each other their whole lives,” Nevin said.
Paulassilverlining will break from post 3 in the seven-horse field, By the Moon has post 4.
The $500,000 Ballerina is a Win and You’re In race for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 4 at Del Mar.
The Ballerina field also includes Grade 2 Princess Rooney winner Curlin’s Approval, Grade 2 Ruffian winner Highway Star, and Carina Mia, who in her first start since being transferred to Brown won the restricted Shine Again Stakes.
Carina Mia had to await racing room behind the leaders on the far turn of the sevenfurlong Shine Again, then finished well to win by a neck over Going for Broke, whom Brown has entered in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign on Saturday.
“She just came to us this meet,” Brown said of Carina Mia. “I thought she ran great in the Shine Again, and she should take a step forward for us in here.”
Highway Star has won five of her last seven races for trainer Rodrigo Ubillo. She finished third to Songbird and Paid Up Subscriber in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps in her most recent start on Belmont Stakes Day.
Highway Star stumbled at the start of the 1 1/16-mile Phipps, then was momentarily in tight quarters nearing the stretch.
“She’s best from seven furlongs to a mile. The added distance of the Phipps didn’t help her,” Ubillo said. “She is a fighter. If she is close to them, she’ll make a good run.”
Curlin’s Approval, trained and co-owned by Happy Alter, has won three graded races at Gulfstream Park this year. She won the Princess Rooney by 4 1/2 lengths in July, the Grade 2 Royal Delta by six lengths in February, and the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie by 2 1/2 lengths in January.
The Ballerina lacks a true front-runner, and Curlin’s Approval should find herself on or near the lead, along with Paulassilverlining.
The field is completed by Distinta, the Princess Rooney runner-up for trainer Todd Pletcher; and Birdatthewire, who will be equipped with blinkers for this race by Tom Proctor.