Pauline’s Pearl wears down Shedaresthedevil in the La Troienne (G1) last year (Coady Photography)
Churchill Downs Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky.— Stonestreet Stables’ Grade I winner Pauline’s Pearl leads a field of eight fillies and mares that entered Saturday’s fourth running of the $225,000 Shawnee Stakes (GIII) at Churchill Downs.
The Shawnee was carded as Race 8 on the 11-race program. First post is 12:45 p.m. and the Shawnee field will break at approximately 4:22 p.m. The Shawnee is one of six stakes contests on the “Stephen Foster Preview Day” program. The other five stakes on the card are the $225,000 Arlington Stakes (GIII), $225,000 Blame Stakes (GIII), $225,000 Regret (GIII), $225,000 Aristides (Listed) and $225,000 Audubon (Listed).
Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Pauline’s Pearl faded to sixth in this year’s La Troienne (GI) on Kentucky Oaks Day but, in the 2022 edition, the daughter of Tapit finished a half-length better than former Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) heroine Shedaresthedevil. Pauline’s Pearl will be ridden in the Shawnee by Tyler Gaffalione from post No. 3.
Chief among Pauline’s Pearl competition is Godolphin’s Doubledogdare Stakes (GIII) winner Frost Point. Trained by Bill Mott, Frost Point finished three-quarters of a length better than fellow Shawnee competitor Hidden Connection in the Doubledogdare at Keeneland. Previously, the 5-year-old daughter of Frosted scored a convincing 6 ¼-length win in the Heavenly Prize Invitational at Aqueduct. Junior Alvarado will have the mount from post 6.
Here is the Shawnee field from the rail out (with jockey and trainer): Soul of an Angel (Adam Beschizza, Gerald James); Travel Column (Cristian Torres, Paulo Lobo); Pauline’s Pearl (Gaffalione, Asmussen); Idiomatic (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox); Sixtythreecaliber (Edgar Morales, Tom Amoss); Frost Point (Alvarado, Mott); Hidden Connection (Rey Gutierrez, Bret Calhoun); and Moon Swag (Luis Saez, Brendan Walsh).
Many horses who entered the Shawnee could use the race as a prep for the July 1, $400,000 Fleur de Lis (GII).
