Four Graces to Make Stakes Debut in Dogwood

Whitham Thoroughbreds' Four Graces, an impressive winner of a first-level allowance three weeks ago at Churchill Downs, will make her stakes debut June 6 against seven other 3-year-old fillies in the $100,000 Dogwood Presented by Woodford Reserve (G3) at the Louisville track.

The seven-furlong Dogwood will award the first four finishers 20-8-4-2 points toward the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1). The co-featured event on the card is the $100,000 Aristides Presented by Woodford Reserve, a six furlong test for 4-year-olds and older.

Four Graces, a daughter of Majesticperfection, debuted as a 7-1 winner at Gulfstream Park in March. The half sister to multiple graded stakes winner McCraken  finished fourth in her second start at Gulfstream but quickly rebounded with an emphatic 1 3/4-length score May 16 at Churchill Downs under Julien Leparoux. 

"She's an extremely talented filly," trainer Ian Wilkes said. "With her family, we had high hopes she'd turn out well on the racetrack, and when she won on debut, we thought we could have something special."

Leparoux will ride Four Graces from post 2.

Chief among Four Graces' rivals in the Dogwood is Hronis Racing's Edgeway, a winner in two of her three starts, including a 1 1/2-length score in a first-level allowance at Oaklawn Park. The John Sadler trainee finished third in the April 4 Purple Martin Stakes at the Arkansas track and returned April 26 to take a six-furlong allowance optional claiming race.

The daughter of Competitive Edge  will be ridden by Tyler Baze from the outside post.

Three Chimneys Farm's Magic Dance is also entered. The winner of last year's Debutante Stakes at Churchill placed third in the Adirondack Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the More Than Ready  filly, making her second start of the year, is a half sister to grade 1 winner Guarana and will be ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr. from post 5.

Bayerness will get a chance to vindicate her seventh-place finish in the Feb. 29 Davona Dale Stakes (G2). In that one-mile test won by Tonalist's Shape, Bayerness raced into contention but then faded abruptly. In November, she won a one-mile test at Churchill Downs, and before that the daughter of Bayern won on debut at Keeneland.

Autumn Hill Farms Racing Stables' Bobby's Wicked One leads a compact but competitive cast of six sprinters in the $100,000 Aristides.

Bobby's Wicked One, a 5-year-old son of Speightstown  trained by Al Stall Jr., has earned $545,423 with six victories through 16 starts, including stakes scores in the Commonwealth Stakes (G3) at Keeneland and the Thanksgiving Handicap and Duncan F. Kenner at Fair Grounds. Last year he finished second to champion Mitole in the Churchill Downs Stakes Presented by Twinspires.com (G1). 

He enters the Aristides off a disappointing 11th-place effort in the April 18 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) at Oaklawn. 

"We are still puzzled by his last race," Stall said. "We know he is a much better horse than that. It's still puzzling he ran as poorly as he did but sometimes horses don't like the surface at Oaklawn." 

Miguel Mena will have the mount on Bobby's Wicked One from post 4.

Chief among his rivals in the Aristides is Phoenix Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm's Volatile. The 4-year-old son of Violence  had a 7 1/2-length allowance-level score at Oaklawn and has three wins and one second in four starts. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Volatile will be ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr. from post 6.

Grade 1-placed Manny Wah will also contest the Aristides for trainer Wayne Catalano but has not won in three starts this year. He placed third in the Count Fleet Sprint last out.

Honest Mischief, the winner of the City of Laurel Stakes in November, was supplemented to the race for $2,000.