2026 Ballerina Stakes Preview at Saratoga Race Course

Key Takeaways:

• The Ballerina brings together a deep group of female sprinters, with an automatic Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint bid on the line and several runners arriving in strong recent form.
• The pace could be decisive, with R Disaster bringing the most early speed in the field while Ways and Means, Eclatant, and several others look capable of taking advantage if the front end gets too hot.
• R Disaster is the speed play at 5-1, with her Grade 1 form, sharpness off the layoff, and clear early advantage making her dangerous if she gets loose.
• Eclatant has won three straight graded stakes at seven furlongs and brings the tactical versatility to overcome the outside draw, making her a logical contender at 3-1.
• Kilwin offers the price at 8-1, with a perfect dirt record, a past Grade 1 win over this course and distance, and Jose Ortiz back aboard for her second start off the layoff.

The Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga drew a field of 12 older fillies and mares to battle for not only one of the best purses of the year in the division, but an automatic bid to the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint as part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.

The race is a well-matched clash of the best female dirt sprinters in the country. Eclatant carries a two-win streak into the race, with narrow scores in the Madison (G1) and the Chicago (G2). She isn’t even the morning-line favorite, though: that honor went to Ways and Means, who fought mightily to get up over Grand Job in the Bed o’Roses (G2) over the course and distance in June. But, two back in the Derby City Distaff (G2), Ways and Means had to settle for place behind R Disaster – who returns in this spot, too.

Originally run as the Ballerina Stakes starting in 1979, the race was run as the Ballerina Handicap between 1994 and 2004, and again from 2021 to 2024, but reverted to weight-for-age conditions in 2025. The race is always part of the Eclipse Award picture in the sprint division for fillies and mares. Some of its most important winners over the years include Davona Dale, Lady’s Secret, Dream Supreme, Shine Again, Maryfield, two-time champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive, and Echo Zulu.

Ballerina Information

• Race Date: Saturday, August 29
• Track: Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York
• Post Time: 5:49 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: seven furlongs on the dirt
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds and older, fillies and mares
• Where to Watch: FanDuel Racing and Fox
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2026 Ballerina Stakes Draw and Odds

This is the field for the 2026 Ballerina, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds for each horse.

Ballerina Stakes Prep Race Results

Five of the 12 horses in the starting gate for the Ballerina come out of graded-stakes company last out. A pair last raced in the Honorable Miss (G2) on July 26 at Saratoga: Maida led at every call to spring the upset, and Kappa Kappa has to rebound from a fifth-place run. R Disaster has freshened up since a wire-to-wire win in the Derby City Distaff (G1) on May 2 at Churchill Downs. That day Ways and Means finished second behind her, but Ways and Means returned to win the Bed o’ Roses (G2) June 5 at the Spa. Eclatant also comes out of a graded victory, a hard-fought score in the Chicago (G2) at Churchill Downs on June 20.

Four others in the field come out of ungraded open stakes races, with three most recently winning at that level. Echo Sound romped in the slop to win the Regret on July 18 at Monmouth Park by 7 ½ lengths. Kilwin rallied from the rear of a compact field to win the Twin Bridges at Ellis on July 19. Paradise City scored in stalk-and-pounce fashion to take the Saylorville on July 10 at Prairie Meadows. Grammy Girl chased on second-best behind blowout winner Maida in the Alma North on June 27 at Laurel; Maida, of course, already franked that form in the Honorable Miss.

A pair of runners come out of the New York-bred Johnstone Stakes on August 5 at Saratoga. Munnings Express finished best, snagging a 1 ¾-length win, while even-money favorite Usha had to settle for third.

One runner comes out of allowance company. Beauty Reigns battled to a half-length victory in a top-shelf allowance at Saratoga on July 23. Third in that race was none other than Munnings Express, who came back to win the Johnstone.

Ballerina Stakes Fillies and Mares

These are the 12 entrants in the 2026 Ballerina, in order of their post positions:

1. Echo Sound: The rail in a field of 12 is always tough, but she was able to work a tracking trip from the fence when winning the Miss Preakness (G3) last spring, so it’s not impossible for her to work a good trip. However, that was a six-furlong race, and she has only won going as long as six and a half. Both of her seven-furlong tries have seen her well beaten. Though that 6 ½-furlong win suggests maybe she could make it seven at the right level, this is a lot to ask.
2. Kilwin: Off since last September, she returned a winner July 19 at Ellis and now comes second off the lay. That gives her upside to improve, and she is already a Grade 1 winner over course and distance with a score in last year’s Test. She came from the clouds after stumbling badly in that start, though judging from her last-out win and a few of her other previous races she doesn’t actually have to drop that far back, making her an interesting price chance, especially with Jose Ortiz riding.
3. Munnings Express: She upset Grade 1 winner Usha in a New York-bred stakes race last out, her first try in any kind of stakes company. The waters get much deeper here, however. Her consistency is admirable: never off the board in 12 starts, two-for-three at seven furlongs, and able to win from on the pace or a stalking spot early. But, the early speed will be speedier, and she’ll have to run the best race of her life to have any shot.
4. Usha: She has back class with a win in the La Brea (G1) in December but has been hit or miss this year. She never looked like a winner when she returned in the Derby City Distaff (G1), did move forward in the Winning Colors, but has not run to expectations in her next two, especially last out when she dropped to face New York-bred company and never threatened Munnings Express. Despite this form, she’ll probably be overbet on the Baffert factor – something close to her morning line wouldn’t be terrible, but it seems unlikely for any Bob Baffert trainee with back class to go that ignored on the tote.
5. Grammy Girl: She got red-hot late last year and early this year, winning three stakes in a row including two Grade 2 races. She never threatened Maida in the Alma North last out, but was well clear of the rest, and Maida has already come back to win another race, suggesting that race was better than the average ungraded stakes at Laurel. Though winning might be a lot, she is an always-dangerous Saffie Joseph, Jr. shipper with excellent extended-sprint form, making her interesting to keep on and spice up the exotics.
6. Kappa Kappa: She is a Grade 2 winner in her only start at seven furlongs, last fall in Keeneland’s Raven Run. The issue for her is probably pace. New jockey Paco Lopez will probably be a great fit because he is so aggressive, but her likelihood of outgunning R Disaster or even Maida to her outside is questionable at best. She doesn’t perform as well if she can’t be on the front, meaning this probably won’t be her day.
7. Ways and Means: She was treated by the bettors last out like she couldn’t lose the Bed o’ Roses, but she had to battle so hard down the lane to win the photo. It was an impressive effort, but it leads to questions about how much it may have taken out of her. She has gotten almost three months to bounce back, and she is a horse who can come back fresh, meaning she could be back in good form. She loves Saratoga and likes the distance, both points in her favor – but also may not be able to get quite as close to the early pace as she likes, leaving her vulnerable to a race shape like she got two back when runner-up behind the much speedier R Disaster in the Derby City Distaff.
8. Maida: Speed is the name of her game. The good news is, she’s faster than Kappa Kappa to her inside, assuming she breaks well. The bad news is, R Disaster is drawn to her outside, and she is even faster, even considering the fact that Maida is switching from a six-furlong race to seven. Seven furlongs might suit her; she started badly in her only previous try at the distance and did stay 6 ½ furlongs earlier this year in the Alma North at Laurel. But, even with her good recent form and her ability to battle some when confronted, her best shot is either a scratch or a poor start for R Disaster.
9. Paradise City: The second-stringer for Saffie Joseph, she is in the best form of her career, coming off of wins in a second-level allowance and then the six-furlong Saylorville at Prairie Meadows last out. Her tactical speed is a plus, too. However, she has been off the board in her two starts at seven furlongs and has yet to run a race that would challenge the best in this field. Perhaps she helps make the early pace honest, but even then, there are a few faster early and some class horses lying in wait.
10. R Disaster: Speed is her game – she is the fastest in the field, she reliably gets out of the gate well, and this year she has proven she fits in Grade 1 company. She has freshened up since winning the Derby City Distaff on Kentucky Derby day, but she tends to come off the bench sharp, common for horses trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr. She has run well in her two starts at Saratoga, as well. All in all, the horses in this field are going to have to be much faster than usual early to keep her reined in, which makes R Disaster a big threat to just keep running.
11. Beauty Reigns: She takes a step up from an allowance win over course and distance last out, a race that was fast enough to make it sensible to try her here. She was also the third-place finisher in the Test (G1) over course and distance last year, and seven furlongs is her best distance. She is young enough (just four) to be improving still; she should be a price, and trainer Bill Mott is thoughtful enough about class jumps like this to make her interesting, at least for a piece.
12. Eclatant: The Oaks trail didn’t quite work out last year, but as a four-year-old she has emerged as a rock-solid sprinter for trainer Brad Cox. The one drawback is the far-outside draw, though there’s enough run-up to the turn and enough versatility for where she can sit that it’s less worrying than it would be for some other runners. She has won three races in a row, including two straight seven-furlong dirt sprints, and though she loses jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. to his injury, she instead gets quite possibly the hottest jockey on the grounds – Manny Franco. Franco has been making the most of his mounts for the Cox barn, among others, and has another live one here.

Ballerina Stakes: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the Ballerina Stakes:

1. R Disaster (5-1)

The basic idea behind R Disaster is simple. Speed is always a good thing in dirt sprints, and can be downright dangerous if, as can happen on a big day, the track is playing really fast. If R Disaster is on form Saturday, no one in this field is fast enough to go with her early, and she is in good enough form that this could make her very difficult to catch late.

Her connections boost confidence, as well. She is trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., who always tends to bring his horses in sharp from layoffs, and has been excellent at targeting shippers in graded stakes this year. Though his win rate is a bit of a concern – he enters the race week just 2-for-42 – he also has seven second-place finishes and five thirds, meaning his horses are nonetheless competitive. And, jockey Tyler Gaffalione has had the call with R Disaster the last two times and stays aboard. He knows how to ride her going seven, and he knows how to take advantage of her speed.

2. Eclatant (3-1)

Eclatant fits this level like a glove and has the tactical versatility to handle this outside draw without losing too much ground. She comes into this race off of two straight graded victories, including a Grade 1 triumph over R Disaster two back in the Madison (G1) – and though her winning margins have been narrow, she has been able to get a good tactical spot and had enough talent and tenacity to get the job done.

Trainer Brad Cox is looking … well, a lot like Brad Cox this meet, winning a quarter of the time so far and hitting the board almost half the time. Though Eclatant tries the dirt at Saratoga for the first time, she has been able to take her form around to enough different racetracks to suggest she’ll handle this one, too. And, as a three-time graded-stakes winner at the distance, she fits right in with the idea that seven-furlong horses win seven-furlong races.

3. Kilwin (8-1)

This Rusty Arnold charge has done most of her running on the lawn, but she has yet to lay a hoof wrong on the dirt. She is a perfect three-for-three on the main track, including a hard-fought score in the Test (G1) over this course and distance last year. That day she stumbled badly and still managed to close into a pedestrian enough pace for the distance – though in her two other dirt starts, the start went better when she rallied from closer range to get up for the win.

She’ll still have to deal with the fact that the pace won’t be that hotly contested, but judging from all three of her dirt wins, she has never needed a collapse to get the job done on the dirt. And, Jose Ortiz returns to the irons – not only is he the current leading jockey at the Saratoga meet, but he was her rider last summer when she won the Test. If Kilwin moves forward second off the lay, they could take down another Saratoga prize at a price.

Ballerina Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Ballerina?

A: The Ballerina Stakes happens Saturday, August 29, at 5:49 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Q: Where is the Ballerina?

A: The Ballerina will be run at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is the 12th on Saratoga’s 14-race Travers Stakes day card.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Ballerina?

A: Shug McGaughey leads all trainers with five wins in the Ballerina, most recently in 1999 with Furlough. McGaughey is still active, but does not have a runner in the 2026 edition of the Ballerina. Among the trainers running horses this year, Bob Baffert leads with three wins in the race. He can win his fourth if Usha prevails.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Ballerina?

A: Ways and Means is the 9-5 morning-line favorite off of her hard-fought score in the Bed O’ Roses on June 5. She should be well bet given that she is trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Flavien Prat, but watch for action on the in-form Eclatant (3-1) as well as R Disaster (5-1), who beat Ways and Means on the square two back at Churchill Downs.

Q: Who is the best Ballerina jockey?

A: John Velazquez leads all riders with five wins in the Ballerina, most recently with Gamine in 2021. Velazquez can extend his record if he guides Usha to victory.

Q: Who won the Ballerina in 2025?

A: Hope Road won the 2025 Ballerina Stakes for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Jose Ortiz. Baffert returns with Usha, ridden by John Velazquez. Ortiz rides Kilwin for Rusty Arnold.

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