Ballerina Handicap

The Ballerina Handicap is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are three years old or older over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt track scheduled annually in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The event currently carries a purse of $500,000.

History
The inaugural running of the Ballerina Stakes was 20 August 1979 and was won by the Ogden Phipps-owned three-year-old filly Blitey, who was ridden by the US Hall of Fame jockey Ángel Cordero Jr. on a muddy track in a time of 1:23$1/5$. The race is named for Howell E. Jackson's filly, Ballerina, who won the 1954 inaugural running of the Maskette Stakes, run today as the Grade I Go For Wand Handicap.

In 1981 the event was classified as Grade III, upgraded to Grade II in 1984 and to Grade I in 1988. The sudden rise in stature of the event was due to the quality of runners who won this event and continued to win important Grade I races. In particular the winner of the second running in 1980 was the 1979 US Champion Three-Year-Old Filly Davona Dale, the 1983 winner Ambassador of Luck who went onto become the US Champion Older Dirt Female Horse and Lady's Secret, the 1985 winner as a three-year-old, who in the following year would win the Breeders' Cup Distaff.

The only dual winner of the event, Shine Again failed by a nose to win a third time as a six-year-old when she was beaten by the 13-1 outsider Harmony Lodge in 2003.

The event continues to be a part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series with the winner of the Ballerina Stakes automatically qualifying for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

Records
Speed record:
 * 7 furlongs: 1:20.95 – Echo Zulu (2023)

Margins:
 * $9 1/4$ lengths – Hilda's Passion (2011)

Most wins:
 * 2 – Shine Again (2001, 2002)

Most wins by a jockey:
 * 5 – John Velazquez (2005, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2021)

Most wins by a trainer:
 * 5 – C. R. McGaughey III (1984, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1999)

Most wins by an owner:
 * 2 – Ogden Phipps (1979, 1999)
 * 2 – Eugene V. Klein (1985, 1986)
 * 2 – Kinsman Stable (1993, 2000)
 * 2 – Bohemia Stable (2001, 2002)

Winners
Notes: § Ran as an entry