Martin Racing Stable and Dan Morgan’s Dubai Majesty will try to defend her title against seven fillies and mares in the $100,000 Winning Colors Stakes (gr. III) on Memorial Day at Churchill Downs, including grade I winner Hot Dixie Chick, who is the lone 3-year-old in the six-furlong sprint.
The 5-year-old Essence of Dubai filly won the 2009 Winning Colors by a length as the 6-5 favorite. She was ridden by Jamie Theriot in that race, but will have Miguel Mena in the irons this year while breaking from the outside post. The Bret Calhoun trainee also won the Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes on the Keeneland turf during her 4-year-old season, but is winless in four starts this year.
Dubai Majesty does have three runner-up placings to show for her efforts in 2010, in the April 8 Madison Stakes (gr. I) at Keeneland. Most recently, she was ninth in the grade I Humana Distaff at a sloppy Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby (gr. I) day.
With an 8-6-5 record from 28 starts, Dubai Majesty has earned $614,888. She was bred in Florida by Harold Plumley and is out of the Great Above mare Great Majesty.
Grace Stables’ Hot Dixie Chick, a finalist for the 2-year-old filly Eclipse Award, will receive a six-pound weight break against 122-pound top weight Dubai Majesty. After breaking her maiden last summer at Churchill Downs while setting the five-furlong track record in :56.48, the Dixie Union filly went on to romp in the Schuylerville (gr. II) and score in the Spinaway (gr. I)—both at Saratoga.
Hot Dixie Chick won her fourth consecutive race in Oaklawn Park’s Prima Donna Stakes March 20 in her 3-year-old debut while coming off a more than seven-month layoff, but was finally tripped up in the Eight Belles Stakes (gr. III) on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill when finishing third in the slop. Robby Albarado will keep the mount for trainer Steve Asmussen.
Sixth in the Humana Distaff was Gold Mark Farm’s Double Espresso, who was making her graded stakes debut. The 4-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro came into that race in good form, having won an optional claimer Feb. 2 at Oaklawn Park to begin her campaign and shipping to Fair Grounds a little more than two weeks late to score in the Pan Zareta Stakes.
Leandro Goncalves will be aboard Double Espresso for the first time. The Tom Amoss trainee, who is two-for-three at Churchill, drew post 2.
$100,000 Winning Colors Stakes (gr. III, Race 10, 5:29 p.m.), Fillies and Mares, 6 Furlongs (Dirt) PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer 1. Emmy Darling (FL), L Melancon, 118, J W Sadler
2. Double Espresso (KY), L R Goncalves, 120, T M Amoss
3. Nadeshiko (KY), C J Lanerie, 118, G D Foley
4. Secret Gypsy (KY), F C Torres, 118, R W Werner
5. Hot Dixie Chick (KY), R Albarado, 116, S M Asmussen
6. Minewander (KY), F Lenclud, 118, D R Vance
7. J Z Warrior (KY), A O Solis, 118, W I Mott
8. Dubai Majesty (FL), M Mena, 122, W B Calhoun
