Breeders’ Cup champs collide in Keeneland’s Madison Stakes

Todd Pletcher used the word “contentious” to describe the situation his reigning Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Stopchargingmaria is walking into on Saturday. While the seven-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer always measures his words carefully, even that description didn’t quite sum up the hornets’ nest of a lineup that awaits in the Grade I, $300,000 Madison Stakes at Keeneland.

“This is a very deep race, very difficult race,” Pletcher added.

This year’s edition of the 7-furlong Madison is the definition of what a Grade I race is supposed to look like. Included in the 13 fillies and mares that passed the entry box were not one, but two defending Breeders’ Cup winners in Stopchargingmaria and Filly & Mare Sprint heroine Wavell Avenue, both of whom are making their season debuts and were installed as the 7-2 and 9-2 picks, respectively, on the morning line.

That she is set to start her year against a crackerjack bunch that also includes Grade I winners Birdatthewire and Sheer Drama speaks to Stopchargingmaria’s versatility. Though the 5-year-old daughter of Tale of the Cat has earned her three career Grade I victories at distances of 1 1/8 miles to 1¼ miles, she did run second, beaten just half a length, in last year’s Madison to kick off a season that would see the bay mare give owners Town and Country Racing their first Breeders’ Cup hardware.

Instead of sending her to the stallion of their choosing for 2016, Town and Country did the sporting thing and brought Stopchargingmaria back for another campaign with a return engagement in Breeders’ Cup the goal. And though she drew post No. 12 for the Madison, she has enough tactical ability to get herself in whatever position Javier Castellano chooses.

“She went to Town and Country farm after the Breeders’ Cup and did really, really well there,” Pletcher said. “She put on quite a bit of weight and she’s a fully mature mare now. She’s trained with as much enthusiasm as she always has and she’s very impressive to watch breeze.

“I think seven-eighths is a little short of her best distance even though she’s won at just about every distance, really. But I think she should run well; she should also improve and that’s the position we kind of want her to be in to start the year.”

Wavell Avenue’s affinity for Keeneland is what allowed the daughter of Harlington to break through for her first career graded stakes win when she upset the field in the Filly & Mare Sprint last Oct. 31. With her late turn of foot, the dark bay filly will need to get some honest fractions in front of her to be effective — something that Sunday Rules, who breaks alongside Wavell Avenue out of post 4 — should provide.

The Madison is so tough that it actually managed to drive one Grade I winner out of the mix. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin confirmed Thursday that he plans to scratch Cavorting after she drew the No. 1 hole for her season debut and send the daughter of Bernardini to the Grade III Distaff Handicap at Aqueduct on April 17.

McLaughlin will still take two swings at the race with Clothes Fall Off and Grade II winner Dancing House.

“The whole thought process with Dancing House is she’s a Grade II winner in good form and the only way we can do better is to win a Grade I,” McLaughlin said. “We’re there trying to win a Grade I but, wow, did it come up tough. We’re going to run and hope for the best.”

This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 1:17 PM with the headline "Breeders’ Cup champs collide in Keeneland’s Madison Stakes."