Transient in Kentucky for 1 5/16-Mile Ladies Marathon

Trainer Saffie Joseph already knows that his 5-year-old mare Transient  can handle Gulfstream Park. Now he wants to find out how she does at Kentucky Downs.

The daughter of Sea the Stars , owned by Bob Edwards' e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, is shipping north for the 12th running of the $1 million Ladies Marathon (G3T) Sept. 9. The stakes is one lap around the all-turf oval, 1 5/16 miles.

Saturday's 12-race card will feature six graded stakes worth a total of $6.7 million, with another race for older mares over a route being the one-mile Ladies Turf (G3T), also for $1 million. Purses at Kentucky Downs include incentives for Kentucky-breds.

Transient competes for a purse of $600,000.

The 5-year-old mare, to be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, has already proven herself running long distances. She has raced twice at 1 1/2 miles, getting nipped by a neck in the La Prevoyante Stakes (G3T) Jan. 28 at Gulfstream and finishing fourth there in the Orchid Stakes (G3T) April 1. In her last start, she won the Powder Break Stakes at a mile and 70 yards at Gulfstream July 15.

Transient has one win in four starts this year with a second and a third. For her career, she has three wins, three seconds, and four thirds. In 10 starts on turf, she has two wins, two seconds, and two thirds.

This will be her first start at Kentucky Downs.

"This is a unique course," Joseph said. "You never know if they are going to handle it until you try it. She is a good-moving horse and you think those are the kind of horses that will be able to handle it better than horses that stop in their action."

Joseph is off to a good start at the seven-day meet. Through three days of racing, he has two wins, a second, and two thirds in eight starts.

She is 3-1 on the morning line, the same price as Joseph Allen's Personal Best , trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey. Favored at 2-1 is Gary Broad's Vergara , trained by Graham Motion. The latter won the Dueling Grounds Oaks last year in her lone start over the undulating course.

The third race on the card, the Ladies Marathon, will be followed six races later by the Ladies Turf, where Gainesway Stable's White Frost  is favored at 9-5 in search of her first stakes win of 2023. She won an allowance optional claiming race to begin her year before losing five straight, though always finishing second or third. The Bill Mott trainee was grade 1-placed in the spring at Keeneland.

New Year's Eve , winner of the stakes prep for this race at Ellis Park over the summer, is second choice at 5-2.