Fourth Consecutive Victory for Hall of Famer Castellano

BALTIMORE – LNJ Foxwoods’ Dogtag, racing for the first time in nearly eight months, got the jump on favored Nova Sol entering the stretch and outran her stablemate to the wire for a 1 ¾-length triumph in the $100,000 Maker’s Mark Hilltop Friday at Pimlico Race Course.
 
The 47th running of the 1 1/16-mile Hilltop for 3-year-old fillies was the first of two turf stakes on a spectacular 14-race program featuring seven stakes, four graded, worth $1.15 million on the Black-Eyed Susan Day program.
 
Dogtag ($8.20) ran a mile in 1:36.71 over a grass course listed as good to give Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano his fourth consecutive victory of the day and third straight in a stakes, following the $100,000 Fidelity First & Blackwell Real Estate Skipat with Chalon and the $150,000 Adena Springs Miss Preakness (G3) with Covfefe, also owned by LNJ Foxwoods.
 
It was the second Hilltop win in three years for Castellano, following Happy Mesa in 2017.
 
Winner of the P.G. Johnson Stakes in her second career start last summer at Saratoga, Dogtag was last seen running fourth in the Miss Grillo (G2) in late September. She raced near the back of the field in the early going behind 35-1 pacesetter Souper Escape, trained by 2018 Hilltop winner Mike Trombetta.
 
Chad Brown-trained Dogtag worked her way to the lead in the stretch and had to hold off a closing charge on the far outside from German-bred Nova Sol, herself coming off a seven-month layoff and making her first North American start. It was 2 ¾ lengths back to Fashion Faux Pas in fourth.
 
$100,000 Maker’s Mark Hilltop Stakes Quotes
 
LNJ Foxwoods’ Jamie Roth (Winning owner, Dogtag): “I’m really happy to have Dogtag back in the winners’ circle. She had some time off and we skipped the Breeders’ Cup. It wasn’t a matter of talent or class; I don’t think she liked the yielding ground [in her last start]. I was watching the race from a weird spot so I wasn’t sure when she had it won. I was just rooting for the finish line. We haven’t discussed anything as to her next start.”

Javier Castellano (Winning jockey, Dogtag): “I'm very fortunate to ride some of the best horses in the country and have all the top trainers in the country give me an opportunity to ride these horses.

“You want to prepare mentally, physically. You want to do good, perform. And thank God everything is falling into right direction. I won with my first four horses. I hope it continues. I like my horse in the Black Eyed Susan and I'm looking forward to the Preakness.
 
“I give all the credit to [Dogtag’s trainer] Mr. [Chad] Brown. He did a great job of bringing her back since the layoff and performing the way she did today. It's amazing. She's a very good filly and the way she performed today I was very fortunate to be along for the ride."