Eight Belles Stakes (G2) winner My Mane Squeeze will return to Churchill Downs on Saturday where she’ll face a field of nine 3-year-old fillies entered in the 49th running of the Grade 3, $300,000 Dogwood Stakes.
Saturday’s card features four stakes events across the 11-race program. First post is 12:45 p.m. EDT, with the featured seven-furlong Dogwood scheduled for 4:25 p.m. as race 8. The other stakes on the card are the $300,000 Bourbon Flight, run as race 7, the $300,000 Harrods Creek as race 9 and the listed $175,000 Seneca Overnight Stakes in race 10.
Trained by Mike Maker, My Mane Squeeze scored the biggest win of her career on Kentucky Oaks Day when she defeated 10 rivals by two lengths in the Eight Belles over the sloppy main track. My Mane Squeeze, owned by William Butler and Winstar Farm, has yet to find the winner’s circle in her subsequent starts, finishing fourth in the Acorn (GI), third in the Test (GI) and second in the Charles Town Oaks (G2). Jockey Luis Saez will retain the mount for the Dogwood and break from post No. 5.
The New York-bred’s rivals in the Dogwood include a duo of horses from Rigney Racing and trainer Phil Bauer: two-time stakes winner Halina’s Forte and Goldfinch Stakes winner Legadema.
Halina’s Forte, a daughter of Mitole, recently won the Galway Stakes at Saratoga when she rallied up the rail under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. Prior to that, Halina’s Forte won the Ruthless Stakes and finished third in the Victory Ride (G3) at Aqueduct. Jockey Junior Alvarado will be in the irons for the Dogwood from post 9.
Her stablemate, Legadema, will break from post 8 under jockey Gerardo Corrales. A daughter of Arrogate, Legadema enters the Dogwood following a three-month freshening after finishing third in the Leslie’s Lady in early June at Churchill Downs.
Another accomplished filly entered in the Dogwood is Flatland Racing Stable’s Audubon Oaks winner Fibber. Trained by Chris Hartman, Fibber was claimed by her connections for $100,000 from trainer Bret Calhoun on May 25 and since won a conditioned allowance contest at Churchill Downs along with the Aug. 11 Audubon Oaks at Ellis Park. Axel Concepcion maintains the mount on Fibber in the Dogwood from post 2.
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