Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman’s Grade 1 winner Explora is set to compete against five other 3-year-old fillies in next Saturday’s $300,000 Dogwood Stakes presented by Resolute Racing (G3). This race is one of three stakes featured on the Downs After Dark card at Churchill Downs.
The Dogwood Stakes, contested over seven furlongs, shares the spotlight with the $300,000 Harrods Creek and the $200,000 Seneca Overnight Stakes (L) on the same day.
Explora, trained by Bob Baffert, delivered an impressive five-length win in last month’s Test Stakes (G1) over seven furlongs at Saratoga. Baffert revealed that the Blame filly would have one more race before targeting the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1), which is run over the same distance on October 31 at Keeneland. The Dogwood Stakes fits perfectly into that plan.
As a two-year-old, Explora captured the Oak Leaf Stakes (G2) before finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Del Mar. Her three-year-old season began with a victory in the seven-furlong Santa Ynez Stakes (L), then she successfully stretched out to two turns to win the Honeybee Stakes (G3) prior to placing fourth in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1). In June, Baffert brought her back to a one-turn race where she won the Leslie’s Lady Stakes (L), a prep for the August 8 Test Stakes. Juan Hernandez will take the reins on Explora, who will start from the rail.
Among the other notable contenders in the Dogwood are Double 22 Stables’ Grade 2 winner A Fine Chardonnay and Juddmonte’s Audubon Oaks victor Conceit.
The full list of Dogwood Stakes entrants, from the rail outward, includes:
– Explora (Juan Hernandez, Bob Baffert)
– My Steel Magnolia (Cristian Torres, Caio Caramori)
– Where Luck Lives (Tyler Gaffalione, Brian Lynch)
– Conceit (Mario Gutierrez, Brad Cox)
– Movie Night (Axel Concepcion, Will Walden)
– A Fine Chardonnay (Brian Hernandez Jr., Ian Wilkes)
This report was initially published by the Paulick Report on September 12, 2026, under their News section. To follow Paulick Report as a preferred source, click here.
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Fan Take: This matchup offers racing fans an exciting glimpse of the rising stars in the three-year-old filly division and sets the stage for the Breeders’ Cup later this fall. Watching top contenders like Explora take on quality rivals in the Dogwood Stakes highlights the depth and competitiveness that make horse racing thrilling to follow.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
