Sea Dancer, a four-year-old filly, is the 7-5 second choice on the morning line for Saturday’s $100,000 Nellie Morse Stakes at Laurel Park, one of four stakes races on the card. She’ll look to double up after a surprise outing nearly two months ago.

Sired by Mastery and out of Cuyathy (by Congrats), she is a half-sister to Breeders’ Cup Mile runner-up Johannes, one of North America’s top turf horses.

Before her breakout performance in the Carousel Stakes on Dec. 21, Sea Dancer had yet to place higher than fifth in seven stakes races and had never raced on dirt. Purchased by SF Racing for $150,000 and making her debut for trainer Brittany Russell, she defied expectations by rallying from off the pace to score a 15-1 upset.

“She traveled with confidence every step of the way,” Russell said. “It was a really nice trip. The goal was to be third, so winning was huge.”

With Sheldon Russell, Brittany Russell’s husband, aboard once again, Sea Dancer will enter the Nellie Morse at a much shorter price.

The morning line favorite is Headline Numbers (6-5). The Chad Brown trainee has a win from four starts.