Goodnight Olive to Make 2023 Debut in Madison Stakes

Goodnight Olive , last year's female champion sprinter, will make her seasonal debut April 8 against four challengers in the seven-furlong $600,000 Madison Stakes (G1) at Keeneland.

The 5-year-old daughter of Ghostzapper   out of the Smart Strike daughter Salty Strike , has been working steadily at Payson Park Training Center since Jan. 27. Conditioned by Chad Brown, Goodnight Olive has recorded four bullet works since she returned to training. Most recently, she worked a bullet five furlongs in 1:01 March 24 and followed with a four-furlong work April 1 in :48 4/5.

Goodnight Olive owns a near-perfect record with six wins and a second from seven career starts. She nailed down her champion title Nov. 5 at Keeneland where she won the seven-furlong Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) by 2 1/2 lengths over champion Echo Zulu  and Wicked Halo . Goodnight Olive has raced at seven furlongs four times and won them all by a combined 19 3/4 lengths. She will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.

Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings bred Goodnight Olive and sold her at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale through Summerfield's consignment for $170,000 to agent Liz Crow, who bought the filly on behalf of First Row Partners and Team Hanley.

Also bringing a strong record at one turn into the Madison is Tsunebumi and Sekie Yoshihara's Yuugiri , a 4-year-old daughter of Shackleford  who is undefeated in three starts at six furlongs.

After finishing 13th in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) last May, Yuugiri did not return to the races until Dec. 30 at Oaklawn Park.

"Going into the Oaks, we thought stamina might be a question," said trainer Rodolphe Brisset. "We gave her the time off after that, and she is a different horse now. The maturity and physically she is much bigger—it is everything you want to see, and the timing was the key."

Yuugiri won at first asking at 2 going six furlongs at Churchill Downs and followed that with stakes placings at 1 1/16 miles that put her on the road to the Kentucky Oaks. Her journey was highlighted by a gate-to-wire victory in the Fantasy Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park.

"We've got her back on her game now going one turn," Brisset said. The filly returned to the winner's circle in a Dec. 30 allowance race and comes into the Madison off a 3 1/2-length win the Carousel Stakes, both races at Oaklawn. She has worked four times at Keeneland since March 10. Most recent works included a five-furlong breeze in 1:00 2/5 March 26 and a half-mile April 2 in :48 4/5.

Ricardo Santana Jr., who was aboard for Yuugiri's two victories this winter at Oaklawn, has the mount Saturday.

Peter Blum's homebred and grade 1 winner Society  will make her 2023 debut in the Madison field as well. The 4-year-old daughter of Gun Runner   last out was seventh in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) but prior to the World Championships strung together wins in the Cotillion Stakes (G1) and Charles Town Oaks (G3). In the Cotillion she beat 2022 Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Secret Oath .

Society is trained by Steve Asmussen and will be ridden by Florent Geroux, who was aboard for the Cotillion win.

Entries: Madison S. (G1)

Keeneland, Saturday, April 08, 2023, Race 7

• Grade I
• 7f
• Dirt
• $600,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:00 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Cocktail Moments (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	123	Kenneth G. McPeek	20/1
2	2Goodnight Olive (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	123	Chad C. Brown	2/5
3	3Society (KY)	Florent Geroux	123	Steven M. Asmussen	3/1
4	4Yuugiri (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	123	Rodolphe Brisset	10/1
5	5Maryquitecontrary (FL)	Luca Panici	123	Claude R. McGaughey III	6/1