NYRAChelsea Durand
By Sarah Mace
Gary Barber and Sequel Racing’s Haveyougoneaway thrilled both her fans and connections when she won the Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina by a half-length over By the Moon on Travers Day. With the victory, the 5-year-old daughter of Congrats earned an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. Two other New York-breds have won the Ballerina in the modern era: Artemis Agrotera in 2014 and Rightly So in 2010.
Already a multiple stakes winner, Haveyougoneaway added her first graded black type to her resume earlier in the Saratoga meet, when she won the six-furlong, Grade 2 Honorable Miss stakes by a neck on July 27. Partnered for the first time with John Velazquez for the Ballerina, Haveyougoneaway was drawn in the outside post of 10, and went off as fifth choice in the betting at odds of 10-1.
In the early stages of the seven-furlong race, Haveyougoneaway settled in fourth on the outside of runners as Paulassilverlining and Carina Mia battled it out up front through a reasonable first quarter in 23.39 and quickening half in 45.54.
Coming under urging in the three path on the far turn, Haveyougoneaway spun out five wide into the stretch and set her sights on the top pair. Gaining the lead at the sixteenth pole, the mare also had enough momentum to out-finish a fast-closing By the Moon to her inside, who finished second. Carina Mia was a length back in third. Haveyougoneaway’s final time for the seven furlong over the fast going was 1:21.63. [VIDEO]
Coglianese Photo
Said John Velazquez, “Perfect trip. She broke well and got in good position. I was just trying to follow Joel Rosario there [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.”
Velazquez then reiterated his astute decision-making process: “I was right next to Carina Mia so I knew we were going a bit slow. When she went on at the half-mile pole, I was just patient. I didn’t want to get involved early, so I waited to the quarter-pole and it worked out good.”
Winning trainer Tom Morley said, “There was a question mark about [the pace] and I said to Johnny [Velazquez] in the paddock, ‘I don’t know whether they’re going to go a rattling good pace here. There’s no signed-on speed. There’s fillies that have been prominently placed before.’ This filly, she’s good enough to win going six [furlongs] and she’s got plenty of gears; you can be tactical with her. We knew she’d stay; she’d only just got there in the Honorable Miss and she ran a very good second to Bar of Gold going a mile at Belmont. The seven-eighths is absolutely her wheelhouse and Johnny had her in the right spot the whole race. It was a great ride and a great result.”
NYRA/Susie Raisher
The conditioner already has some thoughts about Breeders’ Cup competition. “Now obviously we’ll have to plot our route to California carefully,” said Morley. “She’s run three times in pretty quick succession. She ran at the back end of Belmont and won a stake, came up here and won opening week and then came back and won the Ballerina in just under four weeks. She’s had three big efforts in relatively quick succession, so we might just train up to the Breeders’ Cup.”
Morley, for whom this was a first Grade 1 victory, was, needless to say, delighted with the achievement: “I’m dripping in sweat. I’m glad my assistant hosed me down. What a thrill. You can’t beat that. It’s Saratoga, we just won a Grade 1. It’s as good as it gets, it really is.” He added later, “First one means everything. It’s the Ballerina, it doesn’t get much bigger than this. It’s Travers Day, we’re here in Saratoga. That’s the icing on the cake.”
Bred by Andy and Susan Beadnell and foaled at Bead Land & Cattle Company in Pottersville, Haveyougoneaway sold as a $50,000 weanling at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed sale in 2011. The following year she brought $105,000 as a yearling at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale.
As it happened though, she changed hands once more before beginning her career out of state, going for a mere $1,200 when purchased by Champion Racing Stable when she was offered as a racing or a broodmare prospect at the 2013 Keeneland November sale. She went on to earn $402,425 for her first owners, winning the Flashy Lady Stakes at Remington Park in September 2015, and, earlier this year, nearly sweeping the filly and mare sprint series at Oaklawn Park, with wins in the the American Beauty and Spring Fever Stakes and a second in the Carousel.
Purchased privately this year by Sequel Racing, who has now partnered with Gary Barber on the mare, Haveyougoneaway has collected three stakes victories and a second in four starts in her native New York: a second in the Critical Eye Stakes at Belmont Park on May 30, a win in the Dancin Renee on July 3 and now victories in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss and Grade 1 Ballerina in Saratoga.
Haveyougoneaway is the most accomplished by far of two winners out of One Wise Cowgirl, an unraced New York-bred daughter of Wiseman’s Ferry also bred by the Beadnells. Her career record now stands at 11 wins, four seconds and six thirds from 26 starts with earnings of $897,425.
Currently One Wise Cowgirl has a 2-year-old filly by Girolamo, who has not yet raced, a yearling filly by Take Charge Indy and a weanling colt by Central Banker. She was bred this year back to Congrats.
