Racing Not Retirement Planned for Come Dancing in 2020

Rather than having Come Dancing's career end with a fizzle, in which she finished sixth in the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita Park, her connections aim to race her in 2020, hoping to end next year with a more satisfying result.

Trainer Carlos Martin said Dec. 26 that owner-breeder Marc Holliday, who races Come Dancing under the stable name Blue Devil Racing Stable, has decided to delay retiring her and breeding her to Quality Road , and is excited to race her next year after she receives a winter freshening at Ocala Stud in Florida.

The change in plans for Come Dancing, first reported by David Grening with Daily Racing Form, is with the intention of returning to next year's Filly and Mare Sprint, to be run at seven furlongs Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

Come Dancing, a 5-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon , developed into one of the top females this year, racing around one turn in New York. She began the season with romps in the Distaff Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack and Ruffian Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park before running second to Midnight Bisou in the June 8 Odgen Phipps Stakes (G1) on Belmont Stakes Day. She then returned to her winning ways, taking the Ketel One Ballerina Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course and the Gallant Bloom Handicap (G2) at Belmont.

That form resulted in Come Dancing starting as the 2-1 second favorite in the Filly and Mare Sprint, but she never showed any of the customary zeal, staying in the rear half of the field and ending up 12 1/2 lengths behind victorious Covfefe.

Sent to Lane's End near Versailles, Ky., after the race, she became sick with a low-grade virus, which Martin believes could have compromised her at Santa Anita. "She wasn't showing any signs, obviously, before the Breeders' Cup, but there could have been something incubating," he said.

Martin said she was evaluated by renowned equine surgeon Dr. Larry Bramlage earlier this month, and received a clean bill of health, further encouraging them to bring her back.

"In his mind, he just didn't want her to go out that way," Martin said of Holliday's decision.

Plans call for her to return this spring to Martin's Belmont Park training base, most likely for a New York-geared campaign, though her connections aren't ruling out the possibility of shipping her out of state for an important assignment long before the Breeders' Cup. Martin mentioned a race such as the Humana Distaff (G1) on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs as the type of race that could entice.