Victress Earns First Graded Stakes in Ballerina
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Photo: Four Footed Fotos
Victress (outside) gets up in the final moments to win the Ballerina at Hastings Racecourse
Victoria and Robert Gilker's Victress earned her first graded stakes with a perfectly timed ride that landed her the $100,000 Ballerina Stakes (G3) at Hastings Racecourse.
The 5-year-old Include mare made her graded stakes debut in the 2016 edition of the race in just her fourth start, finishing second by only three quarters of a length behind the winner.
A field of seven fillies and mares left the gate in the 1 1/8-mile Ballerina, with Sailingforthesun and Touching Promise exchanging blows on the lead through six furlongs in 1:11.99. Race favorite Reginella stayed with the leaders early on, but faded a quarter-mile from the finish.
Sailingforthesun opened up on the field around the final turn and Top Quality gained ground to give chase in second. But none of their efforts mattered in the end as jockey Amadeo Perez angled Victress out to the middle of the track and closed to snag the win at the wire for a photo finish. Final time for the distance over the fast track was 1:50.38.
Sailingforthesun and Top Quality finished second and third, respectively.
Winner of Hasting's July 14 Monashee Handicap in her season debut and runner up in the Aug. 25 City of Edmonton Distaff Handicap at Northlands Park in her most recent effort, Victress brought her record to five wins and four seconds from 14 starts for earnings of $209,603.
Later on the Hastings card Calgary Caper survived an inquiry to win the $100,000 British Columbia Premier's Handicap (G3). The 7-year-old El Corredor gelding was making his 39th start in the 1 3/8-mile race and brought his record to 10-9-3.