When Gold Medal Dancer crossed the wire ahead of Eclipse Award winner Untapable in the Grade 2 Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn Saturday in the slop, the upset was not as much of surprise to fans in Minnesota as it may have been elsewhere.
In 2014 Gold Medal Dancer made a pair of appearances at Canterbury, ostensibly to compete in two turf stakes. Both races were rained off the turn, however, and she took that opportunity to show her connections that she could shine over a wet track.
On June 7, Gold Medal Dancer closed sharply down the stretch to take the $75,000 Minnesota HBPA Distaff at a mile over a muddy surface.
Little more than a month later the filly was favored in the $100,000 Lady Canterbury Stakes which was contested at a mile over a sloppy surface. She was caught just before the wire by Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Awesome Flower which ran her record over “off” tracks to two wins and a second and gave Canterbury regulars reason to wager with confidence against Untapable in her seasonal debut.
