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Rightly So leads throughout in Ballerina Zayat Stables' RIGHTLY SO (Read the Footnotes) climbed to the top of the female sprinter ranks with a gate-to-wire win in Saturday's $250,000 Ballerina S. (G1) at Saratoga. Breaking from post 1 in a field of eight, Rightly So was on top leaving the chute and was not challenged down the backside, comfortably setting fractions of :22 1/5 and :44 4/5. Up by margins varying from one length to 1 1/2 lengths through the opening half-mile, Rightly So repulsed a rally from Warbling (Unbridled's Song) in the stretch and drew away in the final furlong to pass the wire four lengths in front. The final time for seven furlongs over the fast main track was 1:22 2/5. "I had a lot of horse at the quarter pole, so she really ran a big one," winning jockey Cornelio Velasquez said. "Speed has been holding up well today, and I was fortunate to have a good break and make the lead." The Tony Dutrow-trained Rightly So, the 9-2 fourth choice, returned $11.40, $5.40 and $4.10. Warbling, at 6-1, chased the leader in second throughout and narrowly held on to that position by a neck at the end, returned $6.80 and $4.60. Jessica is Back (Put It Back), the 9-2 third choice, tracked in third along the rail down the backside, shifted out at the top of the stretch, momentarily lost position through the lane, then regained third by a neck after splitting rivals late. She paid $4.40. Devil by Design (Medaglia d'Oro), who tried to rally up the inside after an adventurous trip, finished fourth at 11-1. The exotics were worth $63 (exacta), $237.50 (trifecta) and $1,720 (1-2-3-7 superfecta). The order of finish was rounded out by First Passage (Giant's Causeway), champion Informed Decision (Monarchos), Pretty Prolific (Lion Heart) and Qualia (Saarland). Informed Decision, the 2-1 favorite and third in the 2009 Ballerina in her only loss that season, raced in fourth early then came under a ride around the far turn but offered little. "She has not run well on the turn, on dirt, for some reason, even though she normally finishes well," trainer Jonathan Sheppard said. Qualia, the 3-1 second choice, bumped with Pretty Prolific soon after the start, had her saddle slip and bore out badly turning for home. She was eased in the final furlong. A $220,000 OBS February two-year-old in training purchase, Rightly So raced exclusively in New York-bred company through her eighth start. During this time she captured the Iroquois S. and Love is Eternal S., finished second in the Indistinctly S. and placed third in the Broadway S. She tired late to finish a half-length second in her open company debut, the May 29 Vagrancy H. (G2), but clung to victory after setting a fast pace in the July 5 Bed o' Roses H. (G3) at Belmont. The speedball now possesses a mark of 11-7-3-1, $480,050. Bred by Sequel 2003 in the Empire State, Rightly So was produced by the unraced Fit Right In (Out of Place), a half-sister to the multiple stakes-winning Under Serviced (Hook and Ladder) and the stakes-placed Don't Mind Me (Freud). Fit Right In has also produced a yearling filly by Closing Argument and a 2010 full sister to Rightly So.
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