Fiftyshadesofgold wins the Debutante

Fiftyshadesofgold is fifty shades of fast. She proved to be the fastest filly in the Mid-west with her sparkling win in the Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs. The Bret Calhoun trainee battled with a game More Than Beauty around the oval, clicking off fractions of :21.37, :45.14 and :59.39. Piloted by Corie Lanerie, Fiftyshadesofgold hit another gear and put away her rival by eight lengths, flashing under the wire in 1:10.63 for six furlongs over a lightning fast track. More Than Beauty put up a strong fight and finished second, five lengths in front of Del Mar Holiday, who beat out Silver Valley by a nose. Fiftyshadesofgold paid $4.60 for the win.  She extended her record to 2-2-0-0 ($77,790). The filly is raced by her breeder, Clarence Scharbauer Jr.

Fiftyshadesofgold (My Golden Song - Hadif Cat, by Hadif) is now undefeated in two starts and has beaten her rivals by a combined 18 lengths. In her debut at Lone Star Park, Fiftyshadesofgold put them away by 10 lengths at Lone Star in a very sharp :57 3/5 for 5F.

At first glance, Fiftyshadesofgold has a modest pedigree, yet it is filled with winners and there's plenty of class a few generations back. The daughter of stakes placed My Golden Song, who is a son of Unbridled's Song, is the third runner and third stakes winner produced by her dam. Fiftyshadesofgold's half brother Sword Trick (by Early Flyer) won his maiden at first asking and two Texas-bred stakes as a juvenile. He went on to win/place in four other state-bred stakes. Sword Trick's full sister Tastefullyxcessive placed in a stakes as a two year old and won the one mile Got Koko Stakes for state-bred fillies at three. Although their dam Hadif Cat won one of four starts, she's a half sister to two stakes placed juveniles. The second dam Cat's Meow (by Storm Cat) was unplaced in two starts. The third dam Alysbelle (by Alydar) was a Grade 2 winner and a full sister to Kentucky Derby hero and two-time Champion Alysheba.

What can we expect from Fiftyshadesofgold? Her damsire Hadif was a swift multiple stakes winning sprinter who won one of his six furlong stakes in 1:09.40. His gray grand-daughter and her half siblings have inherited his speed. Fiftyshadesofgold will shine in sprints and could stretch her speed to a mile, perhaps with experience.