Madly Truly Back on Dirt in Golden Rod
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Grade III winner Madly Truly will return to Churchill Downs and dirt racing for the first time since her maiden special weight debut four races ago when she starts in the $150,000 Golden Rod Stakes (gr. II) Nov. 30.
John Oxley's Madly Truly is the only stakes winner in the field of 10 Kentucky-bred 2-year-old fillies set to try the 1 1/16-mile distance Saturday at Churchill. Trained by Mark Casse, the daughter of Malibu Moon enters off a one-length victory in the Mazarine Stakes (Can-III) Oct. 5 on the Woodbine Polytrack.
Madly Truly, who rallied from fourth to win the Mazarine, has registered both of her career victories on the Polytrack at Woodbine. She has not raced on dirt since her June 20 debut at Churchill where she was fourth throughout a 5 1/2-furlong race won by Untapable, who would annex the Pocahontas Stakes (gr. III) at Churchill in her next start
Madly Truly turned heads Nov. 22 with a five-furlong breeze at Churchill completed in :59 4/5, third-fastest of 23 at the distance that day.
Starting from the outside post will be Stoneway Farm's Stonetastic, who finished second in the Pocahontas and enters off a fourth-place finish in the Tempted Stakes (gr. III) Nov. 3 at Aqueduct.
The field also includes Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider's homebred Vexed, who finished second in the Rags to Riches Stakes Oct. 27 at Churchill.
Trainer Ian Wilkes will saddle three starters in Runway Giant, Bird Maker, and Playful Love.
$150,000 Golden Rod Stakes (gr. II, race 9, approximate post time 4:35 p.m. EST) fillies, 2yo, 1 1/16 miles
PP, Horse, Jockey, Trainer
1. Daddy's Memory (KY), M. Mena, C. Borel
2. Naïve Enough (KY), R. Santanna Jr., I. Correas IV
3. Streethomealabama (KY), R. Albarado, K. McPeek
4. Runway Giant (KY), J. Court, I. Wilkes
5. Bird Maker (KY), J. Leparoux, I. Wilkes
6. Canadyinacoalmine (KY), J. Castanon, S. Margolis
7. Vexed (KY), S. Bridgmohan, A. Stall Jr.
8. Madly Truly (KY), J. Rocco Jr., M. Casse
9. Playful Love (KY), B. Hernandez Jr., I. Wilkes
10. Stonetastic (KY), C. Lanerie, K. Breen
All assigned 119 pounds.