Fiftyshadesofgold chooses wisely in Eight Belles

Fiftyshadesofgold ranged up to accost Jojo Warrior and Cash Control turning

into the stretch, and forged ahead. But Milam had been making headway wider out,

and soon challenged the new leader at the six-furlong mark in 1:09 1/5.

Although Milam tried to give her a fight, the favorite always appeared to

have enough up her sleeve. Fiftyshadesofgold held a safe half-length margin at

the wire, completed seven furlongs in 1:22 2/5, and paid $6.20 to win.

In the process, Fiftyshadesofgold gave Calhoun a graded stakes double, after

stablemate Marchman's victory in the Grade 3 TwinSpires Turf Sprint.

"I was worried about them getting away from her early in the race," Calhoun

said. "Mike (Smith) had her in great position. I really felt comfortable from

there on. After the first sixteenth of a mile I felt comfortable. Then I saw the

half-mile splits were pretty sharp, but turning back from a mile and a

sixteenth, and considering she likes this track, I thought she had a big shot

from there. She had to gut it out.''

"She did what I wanted her to do," Smith said. "She's comfortable on this

track. That means a lot. She ran and won on this track last year and that makes

a difference. I knew when I locked into that other filly (Milam) at the

sixteenth-pole, that I had her measured.

"We could have gone around again, and she wasn't going to beat. I sure was

glad when these folks made the decision not to run her in the Kentucky Oaks and

to go in this spot instead. I knew she'd be double tough going seven-eighths

here. Besides, I've got another one (Ria Antonia) in the Oaks. Let's see if I

can win the other half of this thing, too."

Cash Control reported home another 3 1/2 length adrift in third. Next came

Designer Legs, Jojo Warrior, Our Amazing Rose, She's a Tiger, Mufajaah and

Whomping Willow. Lady Paradime was scratched.

Jeff Bonde, trainer of She's a Tiger, said that her race was over from the

start.

"This was just a throw-out race," Bonde said. "She got left and eliminated at

the start. Then she was floated wide the whole way. Not much else I can say. I

was originally intending in running her in the Acorn (at Belmont June 7) next

but we need to see how she comes out of the race first."

Fiftyshadesofgold was an apt winner of the Eight Belles. The race's namesake

was a lovely gray daughter of Unbridled's Song, and Fiftyshadesofgold is a

lovely gray granddaughter of Unbridled's Song, by his son My Golden Song.

Bred in Texas by the late Scharbauer, Fiftyshadesofgold sports the famous

silks once carried by another Scharbauer legend, Alysheba, who is being honored

by a Grade 2 stakes later on Friday's card. She has an even closer, genetic

connection to the Hall of Famer: her third dam, Grade 2 winner Alysbelle, is a

full sister to Alysheba.

Fiftyshadesofgold won her first two starts as a juvenile by 18 lengths

combined. She crushed Texas-bred maidens in her debut at Lone Star last May and

followed up with a similar rout in the Debutante at Churchill in June. Bet down

to 1-5 favoritism for the Adirondack at Saratoga, she suffered a brutally rough

trip before crossing the wire fourth. Fiftyshadesofgold was promoted to third

via the disqualification of the first-past-the-post, Who's in Town, but exited

the race with injuries that sidelined her for the rest of her juvenile campaign.

Returning in the restricted Two Altazano on February 15 at Sam Houston,

Fiftyshadesofgold rolled to a 2 1/2-length score. She stretched out to 1 1/16

miles in the Fair Grounds Oaks, where she set the pace early before being

swamped by Untapable. Fiftyshadesofgold was 7 3/4 lengths behind in second, but

still clear of third-placer Unbridled Forever. The Eight Belles marked her first

graded victory, upping her line to 6-4-1-1, $342,262.

Fiftyshadesofgold is the third stakes winner produced by her dam, the winning

Hadif Cat, following Sword Trick and Tastefullyxcessive. As her name suggests,

Hadif Cat is by Hadif, and the mare is a full sister to stakes scorer Screen

Pass.

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