Bella Ballerina Joins Oaks Trail With Golden Rod Win

On the night of Fasig-Tipton's The November Sale in 2018, Godolphin was ready to go all in on a grade 1-winning daughter of Tapit, Pretty City Dancer. By 2025, the $3.5 million price tag has turned into quite the investment. Her Into Mischief daughter, Pretty Mischievous, went on to win the Kentucky Oaks (G1) among three grade 1 triumphs in 2023. Now, Pretty City Dancer's Street Sense filly, Bella Ballerina, is officially on the trail to the 2026 Oaks with a victory Nov. 29 in the $397,375 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs. "She's thrown some really nice foals for us," Godolphin USA director of bloodstock Michael Banahan said of the 11-year-old broodmare. "For a mare to throw two graded fillies of that caliber is really nice. Hopefully we'll have her for a long time." Bella Ballerina's first graded score came in her first start around two turns. Exiting a 4 1/4-length debut win at Keeneland Oct. 5 over 6 furlongs, trainer Brendan Walsh was confident that the filly could handle the added ground at second asking. "It is a big step forward, and it's really a different game," Walsh said. "It's worked well in the past to sprint them first time early, it puts a little speed in them." The race was eventful from start to finish. Essential Coffee stumbled in the opening strides of the race and dropped Corey Lanerie to the track before completing the race behind the field. Both horse and rider walked off in apparent good shape. Then, Letmecounttheways opened up on the field early as she clicked through fractions of :23.45, :46.31, and 1:11.19. Yet, Tyler Gaffalione did not panic aboard Bella Ballerina and worked her from the far outside post to being two off the rail around the clubhouse turn. She got into a solid rhythm while essentially leading the rest of the pack while 5 lengths behind Letmecounttheways. When Gaffalione asked her at the three-eighths pole, she responded. "The speed went on and I was able to just get her to relax. She shut off great for me," Gaffalione said. "She was just galloping around when I asked her for run at the top of the lane." Bella Ballerina took command with ease in the stretch and opened up. However, she started to show signs of the distance change late as she swapped back to her left lead inside the final sixteenth, holding off the late rallies of Atropa and Just Singing. Stopping the clock in 1:43.50, she won by a half-length and paid $10.28. Although shortening stride at the wire, the same jockey-trainer-owner team that raced Pretty Mischievous were satisfied with the victory and how it moves the filly forward into the spring. "She's got a pedigree to stay, today was probably the one day she was going to get a little tired as she got to the wire," Walsh said. "I wasn't surprised when those fillies came at her at the end, but I thought Tyler measured it perfectly and gave her a great ride. Plus, she was out on her own there for awhile too, which is tough. But she learned a lot from it. She should improve a lot and roll on next year." With her victory, Bella Ballerina earned 10 qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks as the top five finishers received points on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale. This marked Godolphin's second consecutive win in the Golden Rod after Good Cheer won the race last year on her path to win the 2025 Kentucky Oaks. "It's important to have a race over this racetrack if you think you have a filly good enough that you want to point toward the Oaks," Banahan said. "To go from 6 furlongs to two turns—to do that today—was ultra impressive. Super impressive effort from the filly and we can do a bit of dreaming here in the wintertime in the Oaks." The dreams are realistic given the family history. Although, Bella Ballerina is already one step ahead of her sister as Pretty Mischievous was third in her Golden Rod attempt. "They're actually completely different. The only way they're similar is the color and the way they look," Gaffalione said of the half sisters. "They're completely different fillies, but both super talented and I'm just thankful to be part of the team." One major similarity appears to be winning big races beneath the twin spires, which is also shared by Bella Ballerina's sire, Street Sense. The 2006 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner and 2007 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner over the surface picked up his fourth graded winner of the year—which has been highlighted by his dual grade 1-winning daughter, La Cara. Street Sense will stand the 2026 season at Darley for a $40,000 fee. On Time Girl Much the Best in Fern Creek Three races earlier on the Stars of Tomorrow II card, juvenile fillies were given an opportunity to sprint in the $225,000 Fern Creek Stakes, and Albaugh Family Stables homebred On Time Girl took advantage. The Not This Time filly took the lead early before Irad Ortiz Jr. yielded it to Solemn Vow, who set fractions of :23.04 and :46.08. On Time Girl then took control at the top of the lane and rallied on for a decisive 3 1/2-length score, completing 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.83. Paige Turner was second and A Fine Chardonnay, who beat On Time Girl in Keeneland's Myrtlewood Stakes, was third. "She was able to have a target to run at and sit just off of the leader," trainer Brad Cox said. "She was able to finish up well today. We may try to gradually stretch her out. I'm not certain she's a mile-and-an-eighth horse, but she's honest and a good work horse."