Champion Malathaat Wins Doubledogdare in 2022 Opener
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Photo: Keeneland Photo/Photos by Z
Malathaat fights off rivals in the Doubledogdare Stakes April 22 at Keeneland
In her 4-year-old season opener April 22 at Keeneland, Malathaat found a way to prevail in the $300,000 Baird Doubledogdare Stakes (G3).
It's what champions do.
In her first start since closing her 3-year-old campaign with a third-place finish in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) in November at Del Mar, Malathaat delivered a hard-fought victory in Friday's 1 1/16-mile test for older fillies and mares—scoring by three-quarters of a length over last year's Doubledogdare winner Bonny South .
If Shadwell Stable's Malathaat had come up short Friday, the daughter of Curlin would have had excuses. The champion 3-year-old filly of 2021 was making her first start in more than five months, raced wide in both turns, and would have to rally from fourth—nine lengths back through a half-mile—with Keeneland's short stretch looming.
Champion and Kentucky Oaks winner MALATHAAT returns to the track a victor in the Baird Doubledogdare (G3) at Keeneland with @ljlmvel aboard! @ShadwellRacing @PletcherRacing pic.twitter.com/zZQlxl4vT1
— Keeneland Racing (@keenelandracing) April 22, 2022
But Malathaat would find a way; rallying three wide under light encouragement from John Velazquez to seize the lead in midstretch despite racing on the wrong lead. She would switch leads late and use her class to hold off Bonny South's too-late run.
"We got to the backstretch and I kind of let her do her thing, getting her mind on her business, but by the time we got to the three-eighths pole, I'm like, 'Man, now I'm too soon.' I got her out a little too quick," Velazquez said. "Down the lane I went to make her switch her lead and she got lost looking for the field. Then the other horse (Bonny South) got to her and she went on again, so it was very nice. We know when she gets to the lead she starts waiting, so it was a good comeback for her."
With the victory, three-time grade 1 winner Malathaat earned her fifth graded stakes win overall. Winning trainer Todd Pletcher said the Doubledogdare proved a good comeback race for Malathaat, who was bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings and sold at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $1,050,000.
"It was really about timing and seeing when she was getting ready. She got some time off at Shadwell after the Breeders' Cup and they did a great job with her. She came in looking super," Pletcher said. "So we targeted this (race) and we felt like if we ran out of time, we had a backup plan in the (May 6) La Troienne (G1) at Churchill. But she was ready. We didn't want to overdo it for her first start of the year, and we had it in the back of our minds not only that she won the (Central Bank) Ashland (Stakes, G1) here, but (this year's) Breeders' Cup is here as well."
Malathaat completed the race in 1:44.58. Longshot Super Quick finished third in the Doubledogdare—her stakes debut.
The connections of Malathaat in the winner's presentation following the Doubledogdare Stakes
Trainer Brad Cox was pleased with Bonny South's runner-up finish.
"That was a big effort; she ran well. Very happy with her effort. This will set her up for, hopefully, a big year. And, hopefully, a grade 1 because she has knocked on the door so many times that we feel like we have to win one. This was a good run off the (five-month) layoff and something we can build off of."
Malathaat hails from a line of stakes performers, beginning with her dam, the grade 1 winner Dreaming of Julia, herself a daughter of multiple grade 1 victress Dream Rush and a half sibling to three black-type winners. Stonestreet has held onto Dreaming of Julia's youngest offspring, which include an unnamed 2-year-old and weanling full sister to Malathaat and a yearling filly by Medaglia d'Oro .