Morticia to Make Seasonal Bow at Churchill Downs

Morticia, whose retirement plans were put on hold for another season of racing, will make her comeback race May 28 at Churchill Downs in a five-furlong $88,000 allowance on the turf.

G. Watts Humphey Jr.'s 6-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy  concluded 2019 as a millionaire with a runner-up finish in the Oct. 11 Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland. After the race trainer Rusty Arnold, who bred Morticia with Humphrey, announced the mare would be retired from racing but the consistent runner gave her connections second thoughts.

"We had a lot of fun with this filly. Mr. Humphrey's a sportsman, he likes to have them run," Arnold said. "It put her over a million and we thought we'd quit. She went home, she was sound, she was happy, and really doing well.

"Breeders' Cup ran and a couple of 6-year-old mares won and we watched them," Arnold continued, referring to Longines Distaff (G1) winner Blue Prize and Turf Sprint (G1T) heroine Belvoir Bay. "Last year there were just so many opportunities. The purses had got better and the opportunities were better for these sprinters and we decided to bring her back another year."

Arnold originally targeted the Giant's Causeway Stakes, a race Morticia won last spring, for the mare's seasonal bow but the Keeneland spring meet was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Nobody knew what was going to happen. Whether (bringing her back) was a good move or a bad move is yet to be determined now because there's been no opportunities to run instead of a lot of opportunities," Arnold said. "But that's just the way the world went this year. That's nobody's fault, you can't predict that."

Morticia is one of 10 fillies and mares entered in the main body of Thursday's ninth race, which drew three also-eligibles and two main track only entrants. She won over the same course and distance in a June allowance last year. From nine starts at five furlongs she has won four races and finished second in another four. Her overall record stands at 10-7-5 from 26 starts and she owns eight black-type victories, including the 2017 Buffalo Trace and the 2019 Spendthrift Farm Ladies Sprint Stakes (G3T) at Kentucky Downs.

"She's a handful, she's got some fire in her," Arnold said. "It's a controllable handful. She's just spunky. She feels as good at 6 as she did at 3, so she's fun to have in the barn."

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione will be back aboard Morticia, the 9-5 morning-line second choice, Thursday as the mare breaks from post 1.

Listed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite is Triton Stable, Brian Chenvert, and trainer Eddie Kenneally's Girls Know Best. The 6-year-old Caleb's Posse  mare won the March 7 Captiva Island Stakes last out at Gulfstream Park and placed in two other stakes during the track's Championship Meet, one of which was taken off the turf. Jose Ortiz will ride from post 8.

Breaking from post 5 will be Klein Racing's homebred Play On, who won two 5 1/2-furlong turf stakes and finished second in two others during Fair Grounds Race Course & Slot's 2019-20 meet for trainer Brad Cox. The 4-year-old Country Day filly took the Dec. 28 Pan Zareta on yielding turf and two starts later scored by a head over Hotshot Anna in the Feb. 25 Mardi Gras on firm ground. Shaun Bridgmohan has the mount.