Dickinson seeks to regain winning form in First Lady

Godolphin LLC’s Dickinson, winner of this spring’s Jenny Wiley (G1) here, headlines a field of seven fillies and mares entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 20th running of the $400,000 First Lady to be run at a mile on the Keeneland Turf Course.

Run for the first time as a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race, the First Lady will award the winner a fees-paid trip to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) to be run Nov. 4 at Del Mar.

The First Lady will go as Saturday afternoon’s seventh race with a 4:35 p.m. post time.

Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, Dickinson will attempt to join Never Retreat (2011) and Intercontinental (GB) (2005) as the only horses to sweep the Jenny Wiley and First Lady in the same year.

A winner of three graded stakes this year, Dickinson enters the First Lady off a runner-up finish in the Ballston Spa (G2) at Saratoga Aug. 26.

Paco Lopez has the mount on Dickinson and will break from post position six.

Among the top rivals to Dickinson are Dona Bruja (ARG), Roca Rojo (IRE) and Hawksmoor (IRE).

Dom Felipe LLC’s Dona Bruja never has been worse than second in 13 career starts. Trained by Ignacio Correas IV, Dona Bruja finished second in the Beverly D. (G1) in her most recent start. Declan Cannon has the mount and will break from post position three.

Sheep Pond Partners, Newport Stables and Bradley Thoroughbreds’ Roca Rojo won the Distaff Turf Mile (G2) at Churchill Downs and in her most recent start finished third in the Ballston Spa, a neck behind Dickinson. Trained by Chad Brown, Roca Rojo will break from post position four and be ridden by Javier Castellano.

Lael Stables’ Hawksmoor returns to Keeneland where she finished third in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Lane’s End (G1) last year in her U.S. debut. A two-time graded stakes winner this year for trainer Arnaud Delacour, Hawksmoor will break from post position seven and be ridden by Julien Leparoux.

The field for the First Lady, with riders and weights, is: One Liz (Jose Valdivia Jr., 124 pounds), Delectation (GB) (Eduardo Pedroza, 121), Dona Bruja (ARG) (Cannon, 124), Roca Rojo (IRE) (Castellano, 124), Zipessa (Joe Bravo, 124), Dickinson (Lopez, 124) and Hawksmoor (IRE) (Leparoux, 124).