Midnight Ballet extended her reach to win the Sharp Cat Stakes
Thomas F. Proctor trained 2-year-old filly, Midnight Ballet finished a distant fifth in a field of six in an Allowance race on 4 October, but it wasn’t so bad when the winner of that allowance race went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa
Anita Park.
Further proof of what looked like a dismal performance on the surface from Midnight Ballet in that allowance was when she was able to successfully accomplish a daunting task in the $100,000 Sharp Cat Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park that was a highly challenging
race for the Midnight Lute filly.
Stoneway Farm’s Midnight Ballet, who is out of the first crop from the two time Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner, Midnight Lute, had to cope with two turns for the first time in her career, and that deceptively soft ground wasn’t going to make things easier for
her.
There was another drastic change made by Thomas Proctor, when he introduced a new jockey in the shape of Julien Leparoux to Midnight Ballet.
With all these changes, it was remarkable that the filly finished on top in a field of seven juvenile fillies, which reeled in the likes of Tilde and Scarlet Strike.
However, all these changes added up to a win, and the duo displayed some real chemistry in their first race together, when they broke steadily to settle for sixth in a field of seven.
Though, it all came together perfectly, when the pair made a bid for the wire on the far turn, and rallied to overhaul Renee’s Titan and the favored Scarlet Strike. The extended rally helped Midnight Ballet to a three-quarter of a length victory, while Renee’s
Titan finished second and Scarlet Strike another half-length back in third.
“There wasn’t no Beholder in there, and it’s not a speed-favoring track,” winning trainer Tom Proctor said. “She acted up a little in the gate, and she got clobbered leaving the gate, so this was a pretty good race for her.”
Next possible start for Midnight Ballet could be the Grade 1, $500,000 Hollywood Starlet on 8 December, and currently she is 2 for 3.
Tags: