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Happy Face Racing Stable’s Capella Dancer, a 5-year-old daughter of Rockport Harbor, rallied up the rail to garner her second stakes score and eleventh career victory in the Arctic Queen, one of three six-furlong sprints for New York-breds on Saturday afternoon’s card at Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack.
Capella Dancer bided her time in seventh in the early stages of the Arctic Queen, while Atlantic’s Smile won an early tussle with Uncle Southern up front and scooted away to lead the field by two lengths though snappy early fractions of 22.24 and 44.72.
Cappella Dance rounded the turn in the two path and made her way up into fourth in upper stretch. Diving to the rail in midstretch, she rallied with conviction along the inside on her way to a 1 1/4-length victory stopping the clock at 1:12.11 after six furlongs over the muddy (sealed) racetrack.
A game Atlantic’s Smile held off Vicki’s Dancer to preserve the runner-up spot by three-quarters of a length, while Champagne Ruby in fourth was followed across the finish line by Little Rocket, Little Miss Lupe, Miss Narcissist and Uncle Southern. [VIDEO]
Previously in stakes competition Capella Dancer had won the 2013 renewal of the Susan B. Anthony Handicap from off the pace in her 4-year-old debut and finished second Niagara Stakes and a close-up fourth in the New York Oaks as a sophomore. Earlier this year Capella Dancer was second to Clean Jean routing in the Jack Betta Be Rite Handicap.
Trained by Michael S. Ferraro and ridden to victory by Daniel Vergara, Capella Dancer improved her record with the Arctic Queen victory to eleven wins, nine second and three thirds from 30 starts and boosted her bankroll to $243,176. She has won ten of 26 outings at Finger Lakes and seven of ten starts over off going.
Bred by Winter Creek Farm and Joseph and Jennifer Daniels and foaled at Saratoga Glen Farm in Schuylerville, Capella Dancer is one of seven winners including two black type winners out of Buddy’s Bird, a New York-bred placed runner by Buddy who was bred and campaigned by Gallagher’s Stud.
Buddy’s Bird’s first foal Lapis (Southern Halo) won the 2005 Union Avenue and earned $152,816 and the mare’s second foal Howyalikedemapples (Rodeo) and third foal Schifty’s Angela (Intidab) are also six-figure earners.
