Dogwood – Grade III
7 furlongs Dirt Stake Purse $300.000 Three-Year-Old Fillies. At CD
Dogwood is an ancient race dating back to the birth of HRP in 2003. It was a route then, going 1 1/16 miles. It went through a lot of changes, dropping to a mile and then eventually to the seven furlongs it is today. Its purse value changed a lot too, varying from $100.000 to today’s $300.000, even becoming ungraded for five years. The first winner was Black Beauty which went on to be a very successful broodmare. She was owned by Wattos, a stable which was only active for a couple of years but racked up three BC wins in that time. Many memories in the list of winners: Australia Wide’s Poppy. He retired her after only ten races and bred her to a fairly successful breeding career. Strange man. Millionaire Higher from Eastern Equine’s stable, a very influential stable from the early days until around 2021. Sweet Mimosa remembered because she was owned by our beloved SRF owner Mike La Rosa. And of course, we should remember that John Henry won this race twice and Mb Stables thrice. Oddly, neither has an entry in today’s edition. And today’s race looks a jolly stampede with just about any one of these young lasses capable of taking home the brass ring:
Horse Owner Odds SRF
Silk Road Big Guns Stables 4-1 97
Gigafemme Big Guns Stables 5-1 98
Promote Violence Team 7 Illusions 7-2 98
Houseofidentity Noblepark 5-1 90
Shericka Winning Link Stables *3-1 96
Black Regazze Nakamura Stables 6-1 95
Este Nocha D J C Racing Stables 6-1 94
Absent Friends Alydar Stables 10-1 93
She Grinds My Gears TwinTowersRacing 12-1 87
El Sweetie Greyfriars Stable 15-1 92
1 She Grinds My Gears TwinTowersRacing 87
She Grinds My Gears has been running and generally failing in long routes at allowance levels, so seems an unlikely chance at this distance and stakes level.
2 Absent Friends TwinTowersRacing 93
Absent Friends looks the stable’s better chance as she came to life placing in the $100.000 Lady Erie at PID last out. Still a ways to go to be competitive at this level… but this stable… you never know.
3 Black Regazze Nakamura Stables 95
Black Regazze is in top form right now coming in here off an easy win in the $200.000 Audubon Oaks at ELP. She’s relatively new to the stakes game, but she’s developing nicely, and a win at this distance is just what she needed to prep for today’s race.
4 Silk Road Big Guns Stables 97
Silk Road is in terrific form right now and, although others in here finished in front of her when she was favoured in the grade one Test, I think her close was mistimed and won’t be today. Her short races coming up to the Test were sharp, hence the favourtism. She will likely be a slight longshot here, but I’ll bet her first.
5 Este Nocha D J C Racing Stables 94
Este Nocha tried a couple of long routes and had a tough time. Throw those two races out and you have a lass that has never been off the board. In her last race, she fell just short of winning the grade three Prioress at SAR at six-furlongs. Makes you think, if it was seven-furlongs, she might have won. Well, think that; then think this: she has never lost at seven furlongs. She looks very dangerous here.
6 Gigafemme Big Guns Stables 98
Gigafemme is another that arrives here in top form, especially with this string of sprint races where she has not been worse than second, the latest being a from off the pace win in the grade two CT Oaks. Probably a bit of a longshot, but I’m betting a Big Guns exacta.
7 Promote Violence Team 7 Illusions 98
Promote Violence closed well to be in the picture and ahead of Silk Road in the Test. Lightly raced, this grade one was her first stakes race and a marvelous performance. If she gets any useful improvement from that race, she will be a terror here. She gets a bit of a rest and may be dangerously fresh.
8 Houseofidentity Noblepark 90
Houseofidentity is hot right now. She quit fiddling around with those route challenges and discovered she likes winning sprints as she tried and won both the $100.000 Maryfield Stakes and the grade three Prioress. The timing on the Prioress was spectacular as she came from tenth and last late and won by a head. Definite win chance here.
9 Shericka Winning Link Stables 96
Although I show no faith in Shericka in my handicap, she deserves to be the favourite here. Her short form is gorgeous. Of all here which contested the Test, she finished best ending second beaten only a neck. She followed that performance with a game third behind Gigafemme in the CT Oaks, and here we are. She looks very strong for this.
10 El Sweetie Greyfriars Stable 96 El Sweetie has been attending to longer runs in most of her short career, but seven furlongs is just fine with her as she illustrated in her win in the $75.000 PARX Future Stars last year. She just may need some seasoning at this distance.
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES