Uphill Dance, who has made all six of her lifetime starts at Woodbine, will make her first start on a traditional dirt surface Saturday at Churchill Downs in the $300,000 Dogwood S. (G3).
The 3-year-old filly, recently acquired by Cheyenne Stable LLC and Gary Barber, is also making her debut for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
The seven-furlong Dogwood, for straight 3-year-olds, drew a high-quality field of nine, with Uphill Dance drawing the rail and getting the services of leading rider Tyler Gaffalione.
At Woodbine under the care of trainer Rachel Halden, Uphill Dance performed admirably, winning a maiden race and allowance on the synthetic track in 2023, then placing in both the Ontario Colleen S. (G3) and Alywow S. on the turf this year.
The Dogwood is race 8 on Saturday’s card, with a post time of 4:25 pm ET.