Malathaat impresses in Ashland Stakes at Keeneland to qualify for Kentucky Oaks
Malathaat kicked off her 2021 campaign with an impressive victory in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland on Saturday afternoon.
Her next start will come in the Kentucky Oaks.
The 3-year-old daughter of Curlin emerged from a four-month layoff to remain undefeated in her fourth career start, screaming through the stretch to catch Pass the Champagne at the wire. It was her first start since a victory in the Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes over a sloppy track at Aqueduct on Dec. 5. The win in the Ashland earned 100 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points for Malathaat, who is trained by Todd Pletcher and owned by Shadwell Stable.
She won the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:42.94 as the 9-5 morning-line favorite.
Joel Rosario rode Malathaat for the first time Saturday, and the victory marked his third consecutive stakes win on Saturday’s card and his fifth over the first seven stakes races of the Keeneland meet.
Simply Ravishing — the 5-2 second choice on the morning line — set the early fractions but was passed up by Pass the Champagne coming out of the far turn.
Pass the Champagne, running for the first time since breaking her maiden at Gulfstream Park in late February, earned 40 Oaks qualifying points for the runner-up finish.
Will’s Secret was another 5¼ lengths back in third place — earning 20 Oaks qualifying points — and long-shot Moon Swag finished another 5¼ lengths behind her in fourth. Simply Ravishing faded to last place in the field of six fillies.
The Kentucky Oaks is set for April 30 at Churchill Downs.
Kimari wins the Madison
Heavy favorite Kimari — a 4-year-old daughter of Munnings — took over in the stretch and won the Grade 1 Madison Stakes by three-quarters of a length over 50-1 shot Estilo Talentoso and Bell’s the One on Saturday.
Wesley Ward trains Kimari, who won for the sixth time in 10 career starts. She’s been no worse than fourth in any of those starts and this victory marked yet another stakes winner for jockey Joel Rosario, who won four consecutive stakes races on the Keeneland card Saturday.
Bell’s the One — the 2-1 favorite on the morning line — finished in a dead heat for second with Estilo Talentoso. Bell’s the One went off as the 4-1 third choice, with Kimari getting bet down to a 3-5 favorite.
Bound for Nowhere returns
Coming off a nearly nine-month layoff, Bound for Nowhere returned to the track for owner/trainer Wesley Ward on Saturday to win the Grade 2 Shakertown Stakes in his fourth career start in the race.
Bound for Nowhere won the 2018 edition of the race before finishing second — a neck behind Imprimis — as the favorite in 2019. Bound for Nowhere was third in last year’s Shakertown Stakes, which was moved from the spring to the summer because of COVID-19. That race was run July 11, 2020, and Saturday was Bound for Nowhere’s first start since then.
The 7-year-old son of The Factor powered through the stretch to catch Imprimis — the 7-year-old gelding that beat him in this race two years ago — at the wire by a nose for Saturday’s victory.
Bound for Nowhere got off to an awkward start as the slight 2-1 favorite but made a spirited run in the stretch under Rosario, just catching Imprimis — the 5-2 second choice — at the wire. Imprimis was antsy on the track a few minutes before post time and then broke through the gate from the No. 2 post position while waiting for the rest of the field to load. He raced near the leaders and took over in the stretch — seemingly on his way to victory — before Bound for Nowhere’s late charge.
Flagstaff wins Commonwealth Stakes
Flagstaff returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in more than a year after taking over in the stretch of the Grade 3 Commonwealth Stakes and going on to a 1¼-length victory.
The 7-year-old gelding went off as the 9-5 favorite, but he hadn’t won in any of his previous six starts (all against stakes company and with no finishes worse than fourth).
Hidden Scroll, the 2-1 second choice in the race, fell out of contention well before the finish and was last place in the field of seven, easing before he hit the finish line more than 20 lengths behind the sixth-place finisher. Hidden Scroll, trained by Brad Cox, finished sixth as the favorite in the 2019 Florida Derby and was moved to the turf for three races last summer. He returned to the dirt for an allowance win in January, and this was just his second start of the year.
Jouster dominates Appalachian Stakes
The first stakes race of the day wasn’t much of a contest, with 8-5 favorite Jouster immediately going to the lead under jockey Luis Saez and never letting anyone else within striking distance over the course of the 1-mile race on the turf.
Jouster, trained by Todd Pletcher, won for the third time in four starts since switching from the dirt to the turf to begin her 3-year-old season. The daughter of Noble Mission finished second — beaten a nose at the wire — in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs last month. The victory in the Grade 2 Appalachian Stakes at Keeneland on Saturday was the first stakes victory for the promising filly.
This story was originally published April 3, 2021 at 6:05 PM.
