'Gold Hopes to Keep Churchill Record Intact

Three-time stakes winner Fiftyshadesofgold will look to keep her Churchill Downs record intact when she tops the field of 10 fillies entered in the $100,000 Dogwood Stakes (gr. III).



The Dogwood, for 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs, is the ninth race on the card, with an approximate post time of 4:55 p.m. (EDT).



Trained by Bret Calhoun for Douglas Scharbauer, the Texas-bred daughter of My Golden Song   has won both her starts under the Twin Spires, including a half-length triumph over Dogwood entrant Milam in the Eight Belles Stakes (gr. III) on the May 2 Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) card. She also took the Debutante at Churchill last year.



Fiftyshadesofgold is coming off consecutive fourth-place finishes in the Test Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga Race Course and the Acorn (gr. I) at Belmont Park. In both races, Fiftyshadesofgold set the pace before succumbing late, with Sweet Reason victorious in both.



In preparation for Saturday's race, Fiftyshadesofgold breezed a half-mile in :47 2/5 Sept. 13, the fastest time for 57 workers at the distance.



"Her last race at Saratoga I thought was a great effort for her," Calhoun said of the Test, in which Fiftyshadesofgold was only a length behind the winner. "Unfortunately, we drew the inside post and she took all the pressure early and was beaten a length. I really believe, not to take anything away from the winner (Sweet Reason), but with a better draw, in an outside post I really believe she would have a much bigger chance of winning that race.

 

"Her race at Belmont was another race she ran well in. We didn't want to be on the lead. There were a couple of speed horses in there and one of them didn't get out and one of them didn't show up so we ended up on the lead. I think it took a little bit of a toll on her. A horse ran right up her rear end on the final turn and I think it knocked her off stride and maybe took a little bit out of her. But again it was a good race. 



"Obviously she loves it here and has run some good races here at Churchill. The Dogwood probably won't be quite as deep of a field as in Saratoga or Belmont; and we'd love to get a good race in her here and just keep moving forward."

 

Additional stakes winners entered in the Dogwood include Henny Jenney, Milam, Thank You Marylou, Kiss to Remember, Honey's Ryan.



Bernard G. Schaeffer's Henny Jenney has won or placed in seven of nine career starts for trainer William Connelly, but has yet to run at Churchill. A closer, the daughter of Henny Hughes won the Inaugural Stakes at Presque Isle Downs before finishing sixth, 4 1/2 lengths behind the winner, in a stake at Woodbine.



Maggi Moss' Kiss to Remember, a daughter of  Big Brown  , was a stakes winner at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots earlier this year and then finished second in the Indiana Grand July 23 at Indiana Grand Race Course.