Bella Sofia Faces Champion Ce Ce in Ballerina

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez knows better than to take anything for granted, especially at Saratoga Race Course.

"You definitely don't," he said. "Everyone comes to play and win. You have to be grateful when you get lucky sometimes."

Since 2012, Rodriguez has perennially been one of the winningest trainers on the New York Racing Association circuit. From 2012-19, he won at least 100 races each year and just missed the century mark in 2021 with 96 victories.

Yet the current Saratoga meet has put Rodriguez's usually jovial disposition to a severe test as he has won just two of 73 starts, though Aug. 26. 

"It's been tough, but it's nothing that we can't put behind us," Rodriguez said.

That can surely be the case Aug. 28 when Bella Sofia  will try to erase much of the sting from Rodriquez's stay at the Spa when she faces reigning champion female sprinter Ce Ce  in the $500,000 Ballerina Handicap (G1) for fillies and mares, a seven-furlong race that offers a free "Win and You're In" spot in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1).

"Just being in a grade 1 is a plus for us," Rodriguez said.

Bella Sofia played a role in Rodriguez's stumbling start at the meet as the 4-year-old daughter of Awesome Patriot  finished a stunning third in the July 27 Honorable Miss Handicap (G2) at 3-5 odds for the ownership group of Michael Imperio, Medallion Racing, Sofia Soares, Vincent Scuderi, and Parkland Thoroughbreds.

For Rodriguez, the Honorable Miss, which followed victories in the Vagrancy Handicap (G3) and Bed o' Roses Stakes (G2) to open 2022, remains a head-scratcher.

"Your guess is as good as mine," he said about what went wrong in the Honorable Miss. "She came into the race good. Maybe she doesn't want to take back."

Speed is the name of Bella Sofia's game, which was on display last year when she won the seven-furlong Longines Test Stakes (G1) at the Spa by 4 1/4 lengths. Yet in the Honorable Miss, she was 2 1/2 lengths off the pace in the opening quarter-mile. This time around, Rodriguez said he wants jockey Luis Saez to break quickly and put her on the lead.

"If we break good, we should be in front," said Rodriguez, whose filly will carry 123 pounds. "She seems like she's doing as good as ever, and we have to hope for the best."

A winner of six of nine starts, produced from the Consolidator  mare Love Contract , Bella Sofia was bred by Two Tone Farms in Kentucky and was bought for $20,000 from the Grassroots Training & Sales consignment at the Ocala Breeders' Sales July 2-Year-Old and Horses of Racing Age Sale. Fourth in last year's Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint behind victorious Ce Ce, she has earned $864,100.

Foremost among the six challengers in Sunday's stakes is Bo Hirsch's homebred Ce Ce, the champion female sprinter. Third to Gamine  in last year's Ballerina, the 6-year-old daughter of Elusive Quality  is coming off a dominant 6 1/2-length victory in the Princess Rooney Invitational Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

"We're kind of following the same pattern we followed last year. I thought she ran well at Saratoga last year, and I'm looking forward to having another crack at it again this year," trainer Michael McCarthy said. "She obviously ran into a very good filly in Gamine, but she showed up, and I think she's doing just as well this year, if not better than she was last year at this time."

Ce Ce, the 125-pound high weight, has also won the Azeri Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park during a 2022 campaign with four starts, two wins, a second, and a third.

Trainer Bill Mott will send out the uncoupled trio of Juddmonte's grade 1-winning Obligatory  (Curlin  ), Godolphin's Caramel Swirl  (Union Rags  ), winner of last year's Lexus Raven Run Stakes (G2), and OXO Equine's multiple grade 2-winning Travel Column  (Frosted  ).

Late-running Obligatory's lone defeat in three starts this year was a runner-up finish in the Bed o' Roses Stakes (G2) to Bella Sofia after the latter set an easy pace. 

The Brad Cox-trained grade 3 winner Lady Rocket  (Tale of the Cat ) and Goodnight Olive  (Ghostzapper  ), who will be making her stakes debut after four straight wins for trainer Chad Brown, round out the field.

Lady Rocket is expected to give Bella Sofia an early test for who can grab the early lead.

Entries: Ballerina H. (G1)

Saratoga Race Course, Sunday, August 28, 2022, Race 9

• Grade I
• 7f
• Dirt
• $500,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 5:39 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Ce Ce (KY)	Victor Espinoza	125	Michael W. McCarthy	2/1
2	2Obligatory (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	123	William I. Mott	7/2
3	3Caramel Swirl (KY)	Junior Alvarado	119	William I. Mott	8/1
4	4Lady Rocket (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	120	Brad H. Cox	6/1
5	5Bella Sofia (KY)	Luis Saez	123	Rudy R. Rodriguez	7/2
6	6Travel Column (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	119	William I. Mott	12/1
7	7Goodnight Olive (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Chad C. Brown	5/1