betonline banner
betonline banner

News and STORIES

Come Dancing Takes Gallant Bloom

Author: Clint Goodman
Published: Monday September 23, 2019
Come Dancing, out of Blue Devil Racing's Stable, has continued to impress through the filly and mare sprint division. On Sunday, she finished first in the $300,000 Gallant Bloom Handicap (G2) at Belmont Park. 

The Running

Come Dancing broke from post 3, and she was the 1/5 favorite on the day. The jockey on board was Javier Castellano. She ran three-wide during the early running. 

As the field raced ahead through opening fractions of :22.54 and :44.99, Come Dancing moved up close to Carrera Cat and Minit to Stardom. 

Come Dancing stayed three-wide as the field went into the far turn, and she moved up alongside the two front-runners. In the top of the stretch, she started to challenge them for the lead. As they reached the 1/16 pole, she was able to straighten out and push forward with Castellano on top. 

Come Dancing, trained by Carlos Martin, finished with a time of 1:14.96 for the 6 1/2-furlong event over the fast track. She crossed the line first to take the Gallant Bloom. She was using the $300,000 race as a final prep before the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) which runs on Nov. 2. 

Castellano spoke about the horse's performance after the race. 

"I didn't want to let her break and dictate the pace," Castellano said. "It's a six-horse field, and two main horses (Carrera Cat and Minit to Stardom) were the speed. I wanted to let her break slowly and then pick it up little by little and get my spot. My goal today was just to take it easy and put everything together for the Breeders' Cup. 

"I think this race is going to bridge the gap to the Breeders' Cup. I didn't want to squeeze the lemon. I wanted to win nice and easy, but I don't want to overdo it."

Come Dancing finished far ahead in first, and Minit to Stardom finished in second, 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Majestic Reason in third. Carrera Cat, who tired as the race went on, finished in fourth, and Jc's Shooting Star, who was never a threat in the race, finished last to complete the order. 

Four of Five This Season

The Gallant Bloom was Come Dancing's fourth win in five starts this season. All of those were against graded foes, and her only loss was in the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G2) in June. She finished second in that race. 

The 5-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon has a current record of 13-8-2-0, and her total earnings are now at $1,054,950, making her the newest millionaire horse. 

Martin spoke about her recent runnings. 

"I initially had said some things right after her last race that I just was going to wait until the Breeders' Cup, but she was just doing so well," Martin said. "I did some research with the team, and it was a perfect prep, timing-wise. The more I thought about it, the more I felt confident in running her today. 

"Marc Holliday and the Blue Devil team have stuck with us through some tough times, and I'm glad to see her at her best as a 5-year-old."

Come Dancing brought back $2.50 to win and $2.10 to place, while Minit to Stardom returned $3.20 to place. There was no show betting on the race.