Churchill Downs Stakes Advance: Dazzling Blue Leads Grade III Winning Colors

May 22, 2024 Kevin Kerstein

Juddmonte’s ultra-consistent 4-year-old filly Dazzling Blue, a stakes winner and multiple graded stakes-placed sprinter, leads a talented cast of 11 fillies and mares who entered Monday’s 21st running of the $250,000 Winning Colors (Grade III), the featured race on a special Memorial Day card from Churchill Downs.

Run at six furlongs as Race 8, the Winning Colors field will go to post at 4:22 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post on the nine-race card is 12:45 p.m.

Dazzling Blue, trained by Churchill Downs’ Spring Meet leading trainer Brad Cox, made her seasonal debut one month ago when she was narrowly defeated by Zeitlos in the Roxelana Stakes, her first race in more than six months. As a 3-year-old, Dazzling Blue finished second to Maple Leaf Mel in the Victory Ride (GIII) at Belmont and third to Vahva and Alva Starr in the Raven Run (GII) at Keeneland. Jockey Florent Geroux, who has ridden Dazzling Blue in four of her seven-lifetime starts, will have the call in the Winning Colors from the outside post No. 11.

There are three other stakes-winning fillies and mares entered in the Winning Colors: three-time Turfway Park stakes winner B G Warrior, Audubon Oaks winner Positano Sunset and Sugar Swirl (GIII) winner Spirit Wind.

One of the other fleet-footed fillies that entered the Winning Colors who is seeking her first stakes score is Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holding’s multiple Grade I placed Clearly Unhinged. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Clearly Unhinged returned from a five-month freshening April 30 when she cruised to a 2 ¾-length score in a second-level allowance contest at Churchill Downs. As a 3-year-old, the daughter of Into Mischief finished second to Pretty Mischievous in the Test (GI) and third to Daddysruby and Big Pondin the La Brea (GI). Jockey Joel Rosario will have the mount in the Winning Colors from post 3.

Here is the complete field for the Winning Colors from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):

• Royal Spa (Ricardo Santana Jr., Rodolphe Brisset)
• B G Warrior (Albin Jimnez, Hugo Andrade)
• Clearly Unhinged (Rosario, Asmussen)
• Miss Arlington (Jareth Loveberry, Brian Williamson)
• Spirit Wind (Jose Ortiz, Saffie Joseph Jr.)
• Positano Sunset (Julien Leparoux, Ian Wilkes)
• Unsung Melody (Jaime Torres, John Ortiz)
• Backyard Money (Gabe Saez, Wayne Lukas)
• Happy Am I (Brian Hernandez Jr., Dallas Stewart)
• Leeloo (Cristian Torres, Ignacio Correas IV)
• Dazzling Blue (Geroux, Cox)

Monday is Military Appreciation Day at Churchill Downs and all active and retired military members, with a valid ID, receive free General Admission Tickets. Gates open at 11:30 a.m. For tickets and more information, visit www.churchilldowns.com.