Champions Letruska, Malathaat Collide in Ogden Phipps

In their first meeting since being crowned Eclipse Award winners—and just their second meeting overall—champions Letruska  and Malathaat  are scheduled to face each other in the $500,000 Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) June 11 at Belmont Park.

St. George Stable homebred Letruska earned champion older dirt female honors last year by winning six of her eight races, including four grade 1 scores. One of those grade 1 victories came in last year's Ogden Phipps when the daughter of Super Saver   opened a five-length lead in mid-stretch before cruising under the wire 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Bonny South .

Shadwell Stable's Malathaat knocked down champion 3-year-old filly honors after she posted grade 1 victories in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes at Keeneland, the Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, and the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

The two multiple-grade 1 winners would close out 2021 in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), where Japan-trained Marche Lorraine  scored an upset victory. In that 1 1/8-mile test, Malathaat finished third and Letruska faded off the board after battling Private Mission  through a half-mile in :44.97 and six furlongs in 1:09.07.

Now they will meet a second time with both trainers feeling comfortable about the set-up. Trainer Fausto Gutierrez noted that last year's Ogden Phipps was a big win for Letruska, as it confirmed that her win over champion Monomoy Girl in the 2021 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) was no fluke. Gutierrez expects another strong outing Saturday off her repeat win in this year's Apple Blossom.

"I think this is the best condition for her—a mile and a sixteenth at one turn," Gutierrez said. "It's the perfect combination; allowing her to use the speed she has while also going a long distance, too."

Letruska will try to become the first back-to-back winner of the Ogden Phipps since Take D' Tour  in 2006-07.

Todd Pletcher, trainer of Malathaat, said his filly is right on schedule after opening the year with a victory in the Baird Doubledogdare Stakes (G3) April 22 at Keeneland. Malathaat raced wide throughout that 1 1/16-mile, two-turn test.

"She's training better than ever and I love the way she looks," Pletcher said. "We kind of went into the Keeneland race with the idea that it was going to hopefully set us up for this. And everything's gone super. 

"It is a super-deep race though; a lot of great fillies in there. She's one of them."

While Letruska was taking last year's Ogden Phipps on the Belmont Stakes day undercard, Klaravich Stables' Search Results  secured a half-length victory in the Acorn Stakes (G1), a one-mile test for 3-year-old fillies. The daughter of Flatter   earned her second win in as many starts at Belmont when she drew off in the stretch for a three-length lead in a muddy edition of the Ruffian Handicap (G2) May 8.

Juddmonte's Bonny South , whose connections are all too familiar with the talents of the race's two champions, will try to improve on her runner-up finish to Letruska in last year's Ogden Phipps as she enters off a second to Malathaat in the Doubledogdare.

Also among the five older fillies and mares entered is Clairiere , a Stonestreet Stables homebred who finished second in this year's Apple Blossom. The daughter of Curlin   won last year's Cotillion Stakes (G1) at Parx Racing. 

Entries: Ogden Phipps S. (G1)

Belmont Park, Saturday, June 11, 2022, Race 7

• Grade I
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $500,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 3:05 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Letruska (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	Fausto Gutierrez	6/5
2	2Bonny South (KY)	Flavien Prat	118	Brad H. Cox	8/1
3	3Malathaat (KY)	John R. Velazquez	124	Todd A. Pletcher	5/2
4	4Clairiere (KY)	Joel Rosario	122	Steven M. Asmussen	3/1
5	5Search Results (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Chad C. Brown	9/2