Clearly Unhinged speeds away in the Winning Colors (Coady Media)
Churchill Downs Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky.— Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings and Jarret Prussin’s speedy Clearly Unhinged scored her first graded stakes victory Monday, cruising to a 1 ½-length score in the 21st running of the $248,750 Winning Colors (Grade III) at Churchill Downs.
Ridden by Joel Rosario for trainer Steve Asmussen, Clearly Unhinged covered the six-furlong Winning Colors distance in 1:09.69. The win was Asmussen’s third in the race with prior victories coming in 2004 with Lady Tak, 2015 with Street Story and last year with Echo Zulu.
The fleet-footed B G Warrior was sent hard out of the starting gate in the Winning Colors and blitzed a quarter-mile of :21.02. Rosario kept Clearly Unhinged just off the hip of B G Warrior through the torrid opening quarter-mile fraction. At the three-eighths pole, B G Warrior began to tire with Clearly Unhinged spurting to a 1 ½-length lead after a sharp half-mile of :44.34. Down the lane, favored Dazzling Blue tried hard to cut into the margin of Clearly Hinged but could only be second-best.
“Anytime you see a horse go 21 flat you get a little nervous,” Asmussen’s assistant trainer Scott Blasi said. “She’s a very talented filly and we’re very thankful John Sikura (owner of Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings) sent her to us. We’ll probably send her north to Saratoga this summer and hopefully get her to the Breeders’ Cup in November.”
Unsung Melody finished 1 ¼ lengths behind Dazzling Blue, winning a three-horse photo over Leeloo and Happy Am I. The trio was followed by Positano Sunset, Royal Spa and B G Warrior.
Sent off at odds of 2-1, Clearly Unhinged returned $6, $3.34 and $2.78. Dazzling Blue, under jockey Florent Geroux, paid $2.92 and $2.64. Unsung Melody, the longest shot on the board at 44-1, paid $7.48 for third with jockey Jaime Torres in the irons.
The Winning Colors was Clearly Unhinged’s fourth-lifetime win from nine starts. The 4-year-old filly has now banked purse earnings of $505,235.
Clearly Unhinged is a daughter of Into Mischief out of the Smart Strike mare Smart Win. She was bred in Kentucky by Rock Brothers Breeding.
Live racing will resume Thursday at Churchill Downs for another “Twilight Thursday” program and first post of 5 p.m. ET. For more information about racing and wagering from Churchill Downs, visit www.churchilldowns.com.
