BY BROCK SHERIDAN

A two-and-a-quarter-length winner of the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff presented by Ford on May 2 at Churchill Downs, Florida-bred millionaire R Disaster returns for her first start since in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Resort World Casino Ballerina at Saratoga Race Course. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., the 5-year-old daughter of Ocala Stud resident Awesome Slew has post 10 in the lineup of a dozen fillies and mares who will race seven furlongs. The Ballerina provides the winner with an automatic starting position into the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) to be run at Keeneland on October 31.

A victory in a Grade 1 outside Florida returns to the Horse Capital of the World® a $7,500 Export Incentive from the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association paid to her breeders Ocala Stud and J. Michael O’Farrell Jr. of Ocala.

An earner of $1,327,015 for owner Richard Averill’s Averill Racing based in Bradenton, Florida and ATM Racing, the nom de course of Anthony Mattera of Palm Beach, Florida; R Disaster joined the seven-figure club with an convincing two-and-a-quarter-length victory ahead of runner-up Ways and Means and third-place finisher Usha in the Derby City Distaff when just a half-second off Groupie Doll’s 14-year-old track record of 1:40.44 for seven furlongs.

That was her second graded stakes victory in three starts this year having taken the six-and-a-half-furlong Hurricane Bertie (G3) with a five-and-a-half-length trouncing of her rivals at Gulfstream Park on March 7. She was then third in the seven-furlong Resolute Racing Madison (G1) won by Eclantant at Keeneland on April 4—her only finish out of the top two in 16 lifetime starts.

R Disaster faces Ways and Means, Usha and Eclatant again in the Ballerina.

Last year in two starts at Saratoga, both over a sloppy track going six furlongs, R Disaster won an upper tier, $100,000 optional claiming in August after finishing second to fellow Florida-bred Halina’s Forte in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss in July. She is two-for-four with two seconds in New York in her career including a three-and-a-half-length win in last year’s Gallant Bloom in September and a second to Haulin Ice in the Grade 3 Vagrancy in May, both going six-and-a-half furlongs at Aqueduct during a Belmont a Big A meet.

R Disaster has won nine races overall with six seconds and the previously mentioned third.

She has tuned up for the Ballerina with a series of impressive works at Saratogo including a bullet four furlongs in :46.76 last Friday, August 21. It was the fastest of 62 moves at the distance that morning at the Spa. A week earlier, she drilled four furlongs in :47.89, the ninth fastest of 114 moves at the distance that morning.

Out of the Gottcha Gold mare Making Havoc, R Disaster is 5-1 on the morning line and will again be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, who has won three of four mounts on the bay mare including the Derby City Distaff.

Ways and Means, a homebred for Seth Klarmin’s Klaravich Stable, is the 9-5 morning line favorite after winning her second straight Bed o’ Roses presented by Boldyn Networks at Saratoga on June 5.

This will be just the third start this year for the Chad Brown-trained daughter of Practical Joke, who has won half of her 12 lifetime starts with three seconds and a third while banking $1,362,500. She has won five of six at Saratoga including last year when she was an eigth-and-a-quarter-length winner in an allowance race for fillies and mares going a mile in June and a two-and-a-half-length winner of the Test (G1) over a muddy and sealed seven furlongs in August.

Flavien Prat will ride Ways and Means from post seven.

Eclatant is undefeated in three starts this year for trainer Brad Cox and Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables.

In additon to the Madison, she took an upper level, $62,500 optional claiming at Gulfstream Park in February and makes her first start since winning the Chicago (G2) at Churchill Downs on June 20.

A 4-year-old daughter of Into Mischief, Eclatant has won six of nine career starts with a third and sports $885,423 in revenues.

Manny Franco takes the call on Eclantant from the outside post 12 and they are 3-1 in the program.

Others entered include Echo Sound with Luis Saez taking the riding assignment, Jose Ortiz teams up with Kilwin, Munnings Express will have Jose Lezcano up, John Velazquez is the jockey for Usha, Grammy Girl will be guided by Javier Castellano, Paco Lopez takes the reins on Kappa Kappa, Maida has Sheldon Russell named to ride, Edgard Zayas has the assignment on Paradise Creek and Beauty Reigns will have Jose Alvarado in the irons.

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