Eight Belles Stakes (G2) champion, My Mane Squeeze, is set to return to Churchill Downs on Saturday for the 49th running of the Grade 3, $300,000 Dogwood Stakes. She will face a competitive field of nine 3-year-old fillies.
Saturday’s 11-race program includes four stakes races, with the featured seven-furlong Dogwood scheduled as Race 8 at 4:25 p.m. EDT. Post time for the day’s first race is at 12:45 p.m.
Trained by Mike Maker and owned by William Butler and WinStar Farm, My Mane Squeeze captured her career-defining win on Kentucky Oaks day, winning the Eight Belles by two lengths. Since then, she has placed in top races, including a fourth in the Acorn (G1), third in the Test (G1), and second in the Charles Town Oaks (G2). Luis Sáez will ride her again, starting from post 5.
Her competition includes Phil Bauer-trained Halina’s Forte and Legadema, along with Audubon Oaks winner Fibber from Chris Hartman’s stable. Halina’s Forte, winner of the Galway Stakes, breaks from post 9, while Legadema, fresh off a layoff, starts from post 8. Fibber will start from post 2 with Axel Concepcion aboard.