The Hillsborough Stakes (Grade 2)- $225.000 Purse
TAM- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Turf
March 7, 2026

For the last two years, Lady Hilltopper has won the Hillsborough Stakes, and despite being 8/1 on the morning line for some reason, she was sharply bet down to being an even money post time favorite as over half the pick ‘em selections went to her. That should not have been surprising, as she was clearly the one to beat, and we were among those who gave her our support. Enjoying the ride is Black N Gold Stable, as the seven year old mare has now won four in a row. The trainer’s three wins with her represent their three overall stake wins, and jockey S Elliott is a first time winner of the race. Congratulations to them! The race was won in a time of 1:45.23, and that is a new stake record. Let’s take a look at it now!

(½ Mile- :47.13)- Big Jd Racing’s Bronxbabesarebest is the quickest out of the gate, but prior to reaching the first turn, Swing Radio swings on by for TwinTowersRacing and will lead the field around the turn, leading after a half mile by half a length. Bronxbabesarebest is third at this point, as Reorganize is a head in front of her for Czech Out Farms. Date Knight is within a length on the rail for Our Athletes, win Avenue Z’s Explorer nearby while making a four wide run. Sitting just a couple lengths off the lead is where we find our eventual winner from Black N Gold Stable, Lady Hilltopper, as Maxmillion Farm’s Decimas Queen is to her outside. There’s a break of a length and a half to the rest of the field, and they are all lined up one behind the other. Yesterdays Queen (Wood Racing Stable) leads Snow Pea (First Flight Stable), Ailin (Royalty Stables), and Youthful Thoughts (Greyhound).

(3/4 Mile- 1:10.59)- Down the backstretch, Reorganize takes the top spot, and will have the field cleared by a length before reaching the final turn. Right behind her, it is four wide, as Swing Radio drops back to join that horses that had been stalking the leaders. A gap presents itself between Date Knight and Bronxbabesarebest, and Lady Hilltopper is positioned perfectly to take advantage of it, and will, as those three are now heads part. Decimas Queen was not as fortunate, but still runs well right behind them. Explorer continues to take the longer way around the track on the outside as she looks to hang with them. Behind her, it’s about two to Yesterdays Queen, and then Snow Pea and Ailin run evenly. Youthful Thoughts now trails them all.

(Top Of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- Lady Hilltopper is not going to wait until the stretch to make a move, as she passes the three that she had been running with rather easily in the turn, and sets her sights on Reorganize entering the stretch. Decimas Queen would see this move, and look to follow Lady Hilltopper right on through, and that would work well for her. Lady Hilltopper is within half a length of the leader at the top of the stretch, while Decimas Queen is third and also by the likes of Date Knight, Bronxbabesarebest, Swing Radio, and Explorer. All of them were looking like beaten horses at this point. Further back, Yesterdays Queen is still the best of the rest, and Ailin looks to hit her best stride. Snow Pea wasn’t showing much, and we were still waiting for Youthful Thoughts to make a move.

(Finish- 1:45.23)- With a furlong to go, Lady Hilltopper would take the lead from Reorganize and look to take it home for her third straight win in the Hillsborough. Decimas Queen was running evenly with her, but at this point, that would not be enough. Lady Hilltopper does indeed go on to claim the victory, and it’s by a comfortable length on Decimas Queen. Reorganize ran well enough to be third, and was two and a half lengths ahead of the rest of the field, as no one else would get involved. Ailin passed some tiring rivals to earn the fourth place check, with Explorer and Date Knight being the next too. Rounding it out, it’s Bronxbabesarebest, Youthful Thoughts, Yesterdays Queen, Snow Pea, and Swing Radio.

About The Winner- Lady Hilltopper, trained by Black N Gold Stable and ridden to victory by S Elliott, is a seven year old mare by Pinnacle West and is out of P O A. She was bred in Kentucky by Our Athletes as a third quarter two year old and was acquired by Black N Gold Stable with a $14.000 claim in February 2022. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her 20th in 40 starts, and her 18th stake win, all of which are graded. Her career earnings are now $5,376,580.

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES