Haveyougoneaway punched her ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) this November after charging down the Saratoga stretch on Saturday to capture the prestigious $500,000 Ballerina S. (G1), becoming her sire Congrats’ newest Grade 1 winner.
Ridden by John Velazquez, the late-running chestnut mare put in her patented rally, swinging to the outside for a clear path in the stretch and inhaling the favored Carina Mia inside the eighth pole of the seven-furlong race. She hit the wire a half-length on top, stopping the timer in 1:21.63 over a fast local dirt track.
“I was just trying to follow Joel Rosario (on Carina Mia). Then, all of a sudden, he took off at the half-mile pole and I sat there and decided to wait. I didn’t want to make a premature move. When I asked at the quarter pole, she responded right away,” said Velazquez.
Trained by Thomas Morley, the red-hot Haveyougoneaway earned $275,000 for her third straight stakes triumph, increasing career earnings to $897,425 for owners Gary Barber and Sequel Racing. Bred by Andy and Susan Beadnell, she also moves to the front of the female sprint division with the victory, which earned her a “Win And You’re In” all-expense-paid berth into the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita.
“What a thrill,” said Morley, who captured his first career Grade 1 win in his young training career. “Now, obviously, we’ll have to plot our route to California carefully.”
Haveyougoneaway joins 2016 Graded stakes winners Venus Valentine (G2), Forever Darling (G2), and Polar River (G3), among others, for Congrats who currently ranks among the Top 15 General Sires in North America this year.
