Willow Hills makes stakes debut in Roxelana

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trainer Ben Colebrook said Willow Hills has done “nothing wrong so far,” and right he is. Now, Colebrook and everyone else will get to see if she has any limitations when the unbeaten 4-year-old filly makes her stakes debut Saturday in the $70,000 Roxelana at Churchill Downs.

“They’re all more seasoned than she is, so there’s that,” Colebrook said in reference to the eight opponents Willow Hills will face. “But she’s training great up to this race, and we’re looking for another big effort from her.”

Bred and owned by the Donamire Farm of Lexington, Ky., home builders Don and Mira Ball, Willow Hills was produced by Pleasant Hill, the winner of the Grade 3 Gardenia (since renamed the Groupie Doll) for Donamire in 2007 at Ellis Park.

“If she runs well Saturday, maybe we’ll think about that race for her this summer,” said Colebrook.

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Willow Hills will break from post 8 with Jimmy Graham aboard in the six-furlong Roxelana when seeking her fourth victory in as many starts. The chestnut daughter of Distorted Humor comes off back-to-back allowance scores at Keeneland and Churchill.

Milam, with stakes experience aplenty, figures as the top threat to Willow Hills and will break from post 2 under Corey Lanerie.

The Roxelana, named for a 1997 foal who won 7 of 11 career starts for the late Blackie Huffman, is carded as the 10th of 11 Saturday races. The first race goes at 12:45 p.m. Eastern, with the Roxelana at 5:20.

There are three allowances on the undercard, including race 8, a $60,700, third-level turf race that drew Medal Count in his first start in nearly nine months and his first for trainer Al Stall Jr. Owned by the Spendthrift Farm of B. Wayne Hughes, Medal Count earned more than $450,000 last year as a 3-year-old while competing in major events.

After Saturday, four stakes remain at the 38-day spring meet, all to be run closing night, June 27.

Key contenders

Willow Hills (Last 3 Beyers: 89-74-56)

* After winning her career debut in March 2014 at Turfway Park, this filly was off for more than a year with an avulsion fracture and “a couple of minor things” that were corrected over time, said Colebrook.

* Colebrook, a former assistant to Christophe Clement, won his first graded stakes last year with the turf filly Sparkling Review, who since has been retired and bred to Bernardini.

Milam (Last 3 Beyers: 75-79-77)

* Seven of her 11 career starts have come in stakes, and indeed, the names on her past-performance lines strongly suggest she’s the class of this race, among them Untapable, Fiftyshadesofgold, Aurelia’s Belle, Sweet Whiskey, and Thank You Marylou.

Donita’s Ruler (Last 3 Beyers: 96-78-64)

* Speedy filly earned that gaudy 96 Beyer last month at Parx in winning an ungraded stakes when making her first start off a $25,000 claim for trainer Blane Servis. She now is under the care of Matt Kordenbrock, who has no in-the-money finishes from three stakes tries in his career.