Apropos, owned and bred by Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider, seems to have found a good spot in the $100,000 Winning Colors Stakes (gr. III) May 26, when she will face eight opponents in the six-furlong sprint at Churchill Downs.
What makes this race so appealing for the well-bred daughter of First Samurai —Apt, by A.P. Indy is that she doesn’t have to face Judy the Beauty, to whom she finished third in the grade I Madison Stakes at Keeneland April 12 in her last start.
Prior to that, she won the American Beauty Stakes at Oaklawn Park and also captured an allowance race at Oaklawn off a five-month layoff.
The Al Stall-trained 5-year-old, versatile enough to be on the pace or settle several lengths back, will break from post 7 and will have Shaun Bridgmohan aboard.
Although there are several talented allowance fillies in the field who are in top form, the class test should come from Sweet Cassiopeia, who has won or placed in five listed or overnight stakes in her past six starts. The daughter of Five Star Day has been running mostly on grass recently, but has excellent dirt form and should be a stretch threat under Joe Rocco Jr.
Trained by William Connelly, she will break from post 5.
The closers should have a good pace setup, with Jamaican Smoke showing speed from the rail, Socialbug, the Bob Baffert-trained filly who is always on or near the lead, breaking from post 4, and Southern Honey stalking those two from the far outside. Warm Breeze, coming off a fourth-place finish in the Las Flores Stakes (gr. III) at Santa Anita Park and a wire-to-wire victory in the Happy Ticket Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, will break from post 8, just inside Southern Honey.
One filly who currently in good form is Anahauc, who has won her past two starts in allowance company at at Churchill Downs and Fair Grounds. Jimmy Graham returns aboard the Bernie Flint-trained daughter of Henny Hughes. She breaks from post 6.
Rounding out the field are the Steve Asmussen-trained Aireofdistinction, a stakes winner at Oaklawn two races back, and Cozze Up Lady, an overnight stakes winner at Fair Grounds two starts back for Bret Calhoun.
$100,000 Winning Colors Stakes (gr. III, Race 10, approximate post time 5:20 p.m. EDT), 3 Year-Olds and Up, Fillies and Mares, six furlongs
2—Aireofdistinction (KY), R. Santana Jr., S. Asmussen
3—Cozze Up Lady (KY), R. Albarado, W.B. Calhoun
4—Socialbug (KY), M. Mena, B. Baffert
5—Sweet Cassiopeia (KY), J. Rocco, Jr., W.R. Connelly
6—Anahauc (KY), J. Graham, B.S. Flint
7—Apropos (KY), S Bridgmohan, A.M. Stall Jr.
8—Warm Breeze (KY), L.R. Goncalves, G.T. Forster
9—Southern Honey (KY). J.R. Leparoux, G.R. Arnold II
