Fiftyshadesofgold points to Fair Grounds Oaks

Fiftyshadesofgold is getting on the Kentucky Oaks trail. The filly who earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 93 for her comeback win in last Saturday night’s Texas Stallion Stakes at Sam Houston is being pointed to the Fair Grounds Oaks, trainer Bret Calhoun said Wednesday.

The Grade 2, $400,000 prep for the Kentucky Oaks will be run in New Orleans on March 29. It will be the two-turn debut for Fiftyshadesofgold, winner of last year’s Debutante at Churchill Downs who won at seven furlongs in the Two Altazano division of the Texas Stallion Stakes.

“She appears to be a two-turn filly,” Calhoun said. “There’s always a lot of questions until they do it, but she’s a big, long filly, stands over a lot of ground.”

Fiftyshadesofgold was making her first start since August in the Texas Stallion Stakes and stalked the pace in third before going on to a 2 1/2-length win under Rosie Napravnik. The effort pleased Calhoun.

“I thought it went just like you would have wanted it to go coming off a long layoff, sitting off the pace and finishing well,” he said. “It was a good comeback race. Seven furlongs, you get enough out of it to move forward.”

Clarence Scharbauer Jr., whose family raced 1988 Horse of the Year Alysheba, bred and owns Fiftyshadesofgold. She is a Texas-bred daughter of My Golden Song, while her fourth dam, Bel Sheba, produced Alysheba.