Super Majesty reigns in Dogwood

A pair of sprint races for three-year-old fillies took center stage Saturday evening as the Dogwood S. (G3) at Churchill Downs and the Charles Town Oaks (G3) went off within 15 minutes of each other.

The Dogwood was the feature event on the Downs After Dark program under the Twin Spires and saw Super Majesty live up to her even-money favoritism.

The Jerry Hollendorfer pupil set the pace on the inside under jockey Alex Solis, posting :22.78, :45.58 and 1:10.09 fractions. The bay lass angled out for the drive and pulled off the 1 3/4 length score in 1:23.02 for seven furlongs on Churchill Downs’ fast main track.

Super Majesty was followed under the wire by Chide, who rallied from the back of the pack to take second by a neck over fellow late runner and 31-1 longshot Sweet Swingin.

Super Majesty was making her stakes bow in the Dogwood after dominating her initial two starts by 21 1/4 lengths and just missing by a nose last out on August 23.

Those starts all came in California at different tracks. The Kentucky-bred LNJ Foxwoods colorbearer broke her maiden at Santa Anita Park on May 24 by 6 1/4 lengths, took an allowance/optional claimer by 15 lengths at Los Alamitos on July 25 and was just caught on August 23 at Del Mar in another allowance/optional claimer.

Super Majesty photo courtesy of Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography

DOGWOOD QUOTES

ALEX SOLIS, jockey of SUPER MAJESTY (winner): “I talked to (trainer) Jerry (Hollendorfer) this morning and we didn’t think anybody had the speed that she has. They didn’t.

“I still think she can route. She’s lightly-raced and still maturing. Also, the way she moves gives me the idea that she can route, too.

“I’m very fortunate to ride a filly like her. She has a lot of talent.”

NANCI ROTH, co-owner of SUPER MAJESTY (winner): “This was our first graded stakes win!”

LARRY ROTH, co-owner of SUPER MAJESTY (winner): “To have our first graded stakes win come at Churchill Downs is just amazing. It’s just incredible. We have a great team in (bloodstock agents) Alex (Solis II), Jason (Litt) and our daughter (Jamie) who is not here but is an integral part of the team with my wife (Nanci) and myself. It’s just incredible.”

AL STALL JR., trainer of CHIDE (second): “She has a nice punch going around one turn. We’re just trying to figure out if she’s a one-turn or two-turn filly. We still don’t know. But we were happy that she showed up. She was looking and acting like she was going to run a nice race. So we’re waiting for our turn.”

SHAUN BRIDGMOHAN, jockey of CHIDE (second): “She tried hard. She was coming out of those route races she got a little bit farther back than I would have liked. I had to ride her to get her going, but she was coming and was catching that filly (winner Super Majesty) at the end.”

DALE ROMANS, trainer of SWEET SWINGIN (third): “I think she’s a very nice filly that has a bright future. I was very pleased with the way she ran.”

CHANNING HILL, jockey on SWEET SWINGIN (third): “She ran real well. Down the backside she took a little bit to get into the race. You know in those seven-eighths races they all want to go pretty quick. But she surprised me a little bit when I tipped her out and she really sprinted. She just got beat by a really nice horse (winner Super Majesty) and the second horse (Chide). The winner is going to be a really, really nice filly. But this filly is coming out of some really good races and she just had to run her race to run that kind of race. I was really impressed and she galloped out really well.”

JULIEN LEPAROUX, jockey of KATHBALLU (fourth): “She ran good. Coming to the quarter pole I thought she had a chance to win, but she flattened out at the end a little bit. But she still ran a big race and she tried hard, so that was good.”