La Gran Bailadora takes Kentucky Cup Distaff

La Gran Bailadora will go for a stakes double in the Spinster next out (Wendy Wooley/EquiSport Photos) Tracy Farmer’s homebred LA GRAN BAILADORA (Afleet Alex) raced in last throughout the $100,000 Kentucky Cup Distaff (G3) at Turfway Park on Saturday except when it mattered most — on the wire. Coming with a furious rally down the center of the track, the bay four-year-old gave trainer Mike Maker his fourth stakes winner on the day when driving to a one-length victory on the line. High Quality (Elusive Quality) broke on top of the seven-distaffer field and led the way through the first quarter in :24 2/5 with Persuading (Broken Vow), Kiss Mine (Mineshaft) and Bella Medaglia (Medaglia d’Oro) strung out across the track to her outside. Persuading managed to wrest control away by the time the half had been reached in :48 2/5 and maintained her advantage through three-quarters in 1:12 3/5 while tracked by Bella Medaglia to her outside. All the while, jockey Corey Lanerie allowed La Gran Bailadora to make her own way in the rear of the field. The filly circled the entire field rounding the turn and sling-shotted after Bella Medaglia, who had grabbed command around the final bend. A nice stretch battle appeared ready to play out, but La Gran Bailadora would have none of it, maintaining a steady momentum to pass Bella Medaglia and finish 1 1/16 miles on the Polytrack in 1:44 4/5.

“I just think Polytrack is her best surface,” Maker said. “She hasn’t really
cared for the turf. I tried her on the dirt and she didn’t care for it. I’ll try
to keep her Polytrack racing.”

“You always go in confidence when you ride for Mike,” Lanerie asserted. “I
was last early, just kind of got her out on the turn and she was best today.
Once we got to the three-eighths pole, I knew I had them. When I got to the
filly on the lead I was a little concerned because she put up a fight, but my
horse got by her and pulled away.”

Sent off the 4-1 second choice, La Gran Bailadora paid $10.40, $5.20 and
$3.20 for her first graded score. Next up on the four-year-old’s radar is the
October 9 Spinster S. (G1) at Keeneland.

“We gave her a freshener with that race in mind,” Maker admitted.

Bella Medaglia was easily best of the rest, finishing eight lengths in front
of third-placer Kiss Mine.

“I thought I had it won,” said Jamie Theriot aboard Bella Medaglia. “She
accelerated when I called on her and we just got run down. When the winner came
to her, she dug in.”

Persuading followed in fourth, with High Quality, Ailalea (Pulpit) and
even-money favorite Upperline (Maria’s Mon) rounding out the order of finish.

La Gran Bailadora is now 19-5-3-3, $205,699, lifetime having captured the
Likely Exchange and placed in the Arlington Matron S. (G3), Wintergreen S. and
Fairway Fun S. this season. The Kentucky-bred lass was a $90,000 RNA at the 2007
Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

La Gran Bailadora is out of Grade 3-placed stakes winner Affirmed Dancer
(Affirmed), making her a half-sister to a yearling filly by Sun King and a 2011
colt by U S Ranger. Affirmed Dancer is herself a daughter of two-time Canadian
champion Woolloomooloo (Regal Intention), and this female family also includes
Italian Group 1 winner Southern Arrow (Smarten), Canadian Horse of the Year
L’alezane (Dr. Fager), and Canadian champions Victorian Prince (Victorian Era)
and Victorian Queen (Victoria Park).