News and STORIES

Deep Field For Winning Colors At Churchill

Author: Don Mckee
Published: Wednesday May 27, 2020
The Grade 3, $100,000 Winning Colors Stakes (G3) is set to run with a deep field at Churchill Downs on May 30. The six-furlong sprint will be sought out by eight fillies and mares, and there is a good chance that the field includes the winner for the 2020 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1).

Spiced Perfection and Mia Mischief

The talented field is led by Spiced Perfection and Mia Mischief.

Spiced Perfection, the winner of the La Brea (G1) as a 3-year-old, is set to break from post 7 with jockey Javier Castellano. It will be her first start for trainer Mark Casse. 

The daughter of Smiling Tiger also won the Madison (G1) last spring, and she is 3-for-3 sprinting six furlongs. She has even shown potential beyond the six-furlong mark, as evident in her 2019 Go for Wand Handicap (G3) victory, which went over a mile.

Spiced Perfection has won stakes races at Del Mar, Santa Anita, Keeneland, and Aqueduct, and her victories have all come when she led, stalked the pace, or rallied from behind. 

She is a very talented and versatile horse that deserves a lot of attention, but she has not run since Jan. 25. Back then, she finished fourth as the favorite in the Inside Information Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park. 

She was then transferred from trainer Peter Miller to Mark Casse, and she has been working in preparation for her return. The filly went four furlongs in a bullet :47 flat on May 17 at Churchill Downs. 

The Steve Asmussen-trained Mia Mischief is the expected favorite, breaking from post 8 under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. 

The 5-year-old daughter of Into Mischief performs well at Churchill Downs, finishing in the top two spots in seven of her eight starts, with five wins. She went against Grade 1 company when she beat Grade 1 winner Marley's Freedom to take the Humana Distaff (G1) at Churchill last spring.

Mia Mischief is a pace presser, and she performs well going six furlongs. In 2020, she is 2-for-2 with an allowance win at Oaklawn Park and a win in the six-furlong Carousel Stakes.

Break Even

Mia Mischief and Spiced Perfection will be challenged by the speedy Break Even, breaking from post 2.

In her 3-year-old campaign in 2019, Break Even won her first six starts. She scored the seven-furlong Eight Belles Stakes (G2) at Churchill downs, where she won by 5 1/2 lengths over Bell's the One, who will break from post 4 in the Winning Colors. 

During the summer, Break Even slacked off a bit and took a break from training after her second-place finish in the Prioress (G2) at Saratoga. That runner-up effort was the first defeat of her career.

In her 2020 debut, Break Even finished last in the 5 1/2-furlong Spring Fever Stakes at Oaklawn, where she fought for the lead through a :21.43 opening quarter.

On April 18 at Oaklawn, she returned to her old self with a six-furlong allowance race. She moved to the front through fractions of 21.73 and:44.79, and she sped ahead in the homestretch. She took that victory by three lengths in 1:09.28.

The Winning Colors will be her third start since the layoff, and it could prove to be her best performance yet.  Rosario will be aboard as jockey, and she is expected to offer a fair price in wagering.

The complete field for the Winning Colors (jockey and trainer) is Sneaking Out (Jose Ortiz, Jerry Hollendorfer); Break Even (Joel Rosario, Brad Cox); Princess Causeway (Chris Landeros, Ian Wilkes); Bell's the One (Corey Lanerie, Neil Pessin); Unique Factor (FlorentGeroux, Peter Miller); Take Charge Angel (Julien Leparoux, Ben Colebrook); Spiced Perfection (Castellano, Casse); Mia Mischief (Santana, Asmussen); and Lady Suebee (Tyler Baze, John Sadler).