Sassy Image, upset winner of the Humana Distaff (gr. I) for the owner-trainer brother duo of Jerry Romans and Dale Romans, headlines a field of 10 fillies and mares entered in the $100,000 Winning Colors (gr. III), the May 30 Memorial Day feature at Churchill Downs.
A 4-year-old daughter of Broken Vow who has won four of five starts at the Louisville oval, Sassy Image took the Humana Distaff at odds of 16-1. The filly broke her maiden at Churchill, where she went on to win the Pocahontas (gr. III) and Golden Rod Stakes (gr. II). Earlier this year, Sassy Image took the Sweetest Chant at Gulfstream Park.
“She loves it here; she loves Churchill. She just loves the surface,” trainer Romans said after the Humana Distaff upset. “The Breeders’ Cup here in the fall is something to think about.”
Sassy Image breaks from post 8 and will be ridden Corey Lanerie, who takes over the reins from Robby Albarado while the latter rides in a pair of stakes at Lone Star Park on Memorial Day.
Trainer Bret Calhoun will seek a Winning Colors three-peat with Martin Racing Stable and Morgan Thoroughbred LLC’s Beat the Blues, who makes her stakes debut after a 1 3/4-length score in an allowance/optional claiming event over Polytrack at Keeneland on April 29. Calhoun saddled Dubai Majesty, winner of the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (gr. I) last fall to win back-to-back runnings of the Winning Colors in 2009-10, including a stakes-record clocking of 1:08.07 a year ago.
$100,000 Winning Colors Stakes (gr. III, Race 9, 4:59 p.m.), F&M, 3&up, six furlongs
PP, Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Indian Ink (OH), F De La Cruz, 118, M Rone
2. Stephanie Got Even (KY), S Bridgmohan, 118, M D Wolfson
3. Wind Caper (KY), J L Castanon, 118, R Cunningham
4. Beat the Blues (FL), M Mena, 118, W B Calhoun
5. Bell’s Shoes (KY), K J Desormeaux, 118, W H Fires
6. Fortune Play (KY), F Lenclud, 118, J A Booker Jr.
7. My New Lady (FL), J K Court, 118, R S Hackworth Jr.
8. Sassy Image (KY), C J Lanerie, 124, D L Romans
9. Starlite Starbrite (KY), L R Goncalves, 118, T M Amoss
10. Jocata (FL), C H Borel, 118, C P Borel