Rock Ridge Farm

Ballerina d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) is heading to the big dance. The Rodeo Creek Racing colorbearer, off as the 3-5 favorite, outslugged a very game Early On (Union Rags), to deliver a nose victory for trainer Chad Brown in Saturday's GIII Gazelle Stakes at the Big A, good for 100 points on the road to the GI Kentucky Oaks. Ballerina d'Oro sat a perfect trip beneath Dylan Davis and traveled nicely in an inside fourth through fractions of :24.10 and :48.36. Tipped out on the far turn, she rolled up three...

6th-Kentucky Downs, $180,800, Msw, 9-8, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:36.02, fm, neck. BALLERINA D'ORO (f, 2, Medaglia d'Oro--In the Moonlight, by Tapit) debuted a well-beaten sixth over the grass at Saratoga Aug. 4. Backed as the 6-5 favorite here, the filly was unhurried after the break as the lead was wrestled away by Big Air (Vekoma). The grey remained patient around the far turn, waited until she was given her cue approaching the eighth pole and went to work slicing through traffic. With a well-timed surge in the final jumps, the...

They had raised him-and now they were raising the roof. "I think he's number 12," Codee Guffey was saying. "I think that's him?!" If he wasn't sure, if in fact he was nearly incredulous, it was not because he had got the number or the silks wrong. Of course he knew the horse perfectly well, muddied as he was, with that white patch on his forehead. It was just that Raise Cain (Violence) was suddenly putting it all together in pretty unrecognizable fashion, relative to five previous starts that had...