Study Guide: 2025 Winning Colors Stakes

May 22, 2025 J. Keeler Johnson/TwinSpires.com

Into Champagne wins the Glitter Woman (Photo by Coglianese Photos / Credit to Lauren King)

Churchill Downs is celebrating Memorial Day with the running of the $250,000 Winning Colors (G3).

Named after 1988 Kentucky Derby (G1) victor Winning Colors—the third and most recent filly to win the Run for the Roses—the Winning Colors is a seven-furlong dirt sprint for fillies and mares.

Throwback Thursday to Bell's The One winning the 2020 edition of the Winning Colors S. at Churchill Downs! 🏆

This year's edition takes place on Monday.

Watch & wager the Memorial Day card with TwinSpires. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Ufbsv9FHjm

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) May 22, 2025

A strong nine-horse field has turned out for the Winning Colors. Let’s meet the contenders:

Brightwork

Brightwork wins the Debutante S. at Ellis Park. (Photo by Cody Media)

Start(s): 8
Wins: 5
Place: 0
Show: 1

Owner: WSS Racing
Breeder: Wynnstay and H. Allen Poindexter
Trainer: John Ortiz
Jockey: John Velazquez

Top Speed Rating: (101) when winning the Adirondack (G3) at Saratoga.
Total Earnings: $645,939

Sire: Outwork
Dam: Clarendon Fancy
Color: Bay

Three-time graded stakes winner Brightwork nabbed the 2023 Spinaway (G1) as a juvenile, and during a brief three-year-old campaign in 2024, she won the Prioress (G3) and placed third against older rivals in the Thoroughbred Club of America (G2). In the latter race, Brightwork raced against the grain of a rail-biased track. She’s trained strongly for her first start as a four-year-old and has a strong chance to win her seasonal debut for the third straight year.

Into Champagne

Into Champagne wins the Glitter Woman S. (Photo by Coglianese Photos / Credit to Lauren King)

Start(s): 7
Wins: 2
Place: 1
Show: 2

Owner: Six Column Stables, Randall L. Bloch, Jim Gladden, Mike Davis, and Michael Steele
Breeder: Robert Low and Lawana Low
Trainer: Ian Wilkes
Jockey: Julien Leparoux

Top Speed Rating: (88) when finishing third in the Hurricane Bertie (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
Total Earnings: $227,613

Sire: Into Mischief
Dam: Bedford Land
Color: Bay

The seventh-place finisher from the 2024 Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs, Into Champagne, secured her lone stakes win in a sprint, taking the six-furlong Glitter Woman S. in January 2024. However, she’s run a bit below her best in two starts this year and needs a rebound to challenge in the Winning Colors.

Benedetta

Benedetta wins the American Beauty S. at Oaklawn Park. (Photo by Coady Media)

Start(s): 12
Wins: 5
Place: 2
Show: 2

Owner: Kaleem Shah
Breeder: Springhouse Farm and Dromoland Farm
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Keith Asmussen

Top Speed Rating: (100) when winning the Cheryl S. White Memorial S. at Mahoning Valley.
Total Earnings: $502,675

Sire: City of Light
Dam: Tessie Flip
Color: Bay

Benedetta has won multiple ungraded stakes, but she struggled when tackling the graded stakes ranks in the seven-furlong Derby City Distaff (G1) last month, finishing eighth. She’ll need improvement to turn the tables on Derby City Distaff runner-up Hope Road in the Winning Colors.

Easy Red

Start(s): 9
Wins: 4
Place: 1
Show: 1

Owner: Donald R. Dizney
Breeder: Ron Stolich and Matchstalk Investments
Trainer: Eddie Kenneally
Jockey: Ben Curtis

Top Speed Rating: (91) when finishing second in a Fair Grounds $50,000 allowance optional claimer.
Total Earnings: $237,233

Sire: Omaha Beach
Dam: Blessings Count
Color: Chestnut

Easy Red has been in hot form for trainer Eddie Kenneally, recording three wins and a second from four starts since November. However, none of those races were stakes, and her defeat came against Winning Colors rival Harbor Springs.

Harbor Springs

Harbor Springs wins at Churchill Downs. (Photo by Coady Media)

Start(s): 12
Wins: 3
Place: 1
Show: 5

Owner: Donamire Farm
Breeder: Donamire Farm
Trainer: Gregory Foley
Jockey: Edgar Morales

Top Speed Rating: (93) when winning a Fair Grounds $50,000 allowance optional claimer.
Total Earnings: $291,242

Sire: Lookin At Lucky
Dam: Northern Michigan
Color: Bay

Harbor Springs defeated Easy Red by one length in a $50,000 allowance optional claimer at Fair Grounds during the winter, but in the six-furlong Roxelana S. at Churchill Downs last month, she could only finish third against Winning Colors foe Mink’s Palace. Harbor Springs will need to do better to reverse that outcome.

Miss Arlington

We Miss Arlington wins at Oaklawn Park. (Photo by Coady Media)

Start(s): 20
Wins: 4
Place: 2
Show: 4

Owner: Nancy A. Vanier, Mark Tauber, Brady Tauber, and Steve Gordon
Breeder: Nancy Vanier, Brady Tauber, Steve Gordon, and Mark Tauber
Trainer: Brian Williamson
Jockey: Abel Cedillo

Top Speed Rating: (95) when winning a Fair Grounds $50,000 allowance optional claimer.
Total Earnings: $319,781

Sire: Mark Valeski
Dam: Luvnotionnumbernine
Color: Bay

Miss Arlington posted a gate-to-wire win in the Mahoning Distaff last fall, but in three starts since then, she hasn’t finished better than fifth. The Winning Colors is her toughest test to date, and in terms of recent Brisnet Speed ratings, she’ll need a step forward to factor.

Hope Road

Start(s): 10
Wins: 4
Place: 4
Show: 0

Owner: Cicero Farms
Breeder: Cicero Farms
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Florent Geroux

Top Speed Rating: (104) when winning a $40,000 allowance optional claimer at Del Mar.
Total Earnings: $567,020

Sire: Quality Road
Dam: Marley’s Freedom
Color: Bay

The filly to beat in the Winning Colors is Hope Road, fresh off a runner-up finish in the Derby City Distaff (G1) sprinting seven furlongs at Churchill. With multiple graded stakes wins and four triple-digit Brisnet Speed ratings under her belt, Hope Road is an accomplished and formidable win threat for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

Mink’s Palace

Mink's Palace wins the Roxelana S. at Churchill Downs. (Photo by Coady Media)

Start(s): 9
Wins: 4
Place: 1
Show: 1

Owner: Summerhill Stables
Breeder: Summerhill Farm
Trainer: Eddie Kenneally
Jockey: Jose Ortiz

Top Speed Rating: (93) when finishing second in a $100,000 allowance optional claimer at Churchill Downs.
Total Earnings: $398,143

Sire: Palace Malice
Dam: Scattering Mink
Color: Bay

Mink’s Palace delivered one of the best performances of her career in the Roxelana S. at Churchill Downs last month, conquering six rivals (including Harbor Springs) in tenacious fashion. A similar performance in the Winning Colors could place Mink’s Palace in the hunt for a top-three finish.

Two Sharp

Two Sharp wins at Keeneland. (Photo by Coady Media)

Start(s): 5
Wins: 3
Place: 2
Show: 0

Owner: Rigney Racing
Breeder: Woods Edge Farm
Trainer: Philip Bauer
Jockey: Junior Alvarado

Top Speed Rating: (99) when finishing second in the Prioress (G3) at Saratoga.
Total Earnings: $366,698

Sire: Twirling Candy
Dam: Double Sharp
Color: Bay

Two Sharp put up a good fight against Brightwork in the Prioress (G3) last summer, finishing second by a neck. Then in the fall, she crushed the one-mile Chilukki (G3) at Churchill Downs by 5 3/4 lengths. Two Sharp hasn’t run since November, but fast workouts suggest she’ll produce a competitive effort in the Winning Colors. Brisnet Speed ratings indicate Two Sharp is a strong candidate to finish in the top three.