Morticia Too Much to Handle in Franklin County Stakes

No matter which angle one took when handicapping the 21st running of the Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes (G3T), every significant indicator pointed directly to the bay filly out of trainer Rusty Arnold's barn.

Her name is Morticia, of Addams Family fame. And for the hunch bettors of the world, there was no more obvious pick than going with the daughter of Twirling Candy , out of the mare Halloween Party, running on Friday the 13th in the month of October, no less. 

Her appeal went beyond the hokey, however, as the race's 5 1/2 furlong distance was one she had never lost at on the turf. With both legitimate class and a boatload of omens in her favor, the stretch run of the $100,000 test was little more than a formality.

"When it came up that way, you couldn't make it up," Arnold said as he made his way out of the Keeneland winner's circle.

Not even some pre-race unfortunate luck was going to keep Morticia from making good on the harbingers in her favor. Despite running with only three shoes when she pulled her right hind off in the paddock, G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s homebred was a most popular heroine as she shook free in the lane and withstood a surge from Justa Lady to take the Franklin County by a half-length. 

That Morticia would earn her first graded win on the day she did made for a playful storyline. It was also a fitting reward for a filly that has done little but tout herself in her nine-race career.

Since running sixth in her debut on dirt at Ellis Park in July of 2016, the 3-year-old bay filly has won six of eight on the grass and has not been worse than third. Her only two defeats came when stretched beyond her wheelhouse—a second behind La Coronel in the one-mile Appalachian Stakes Presented by Japan Racing Association (G3T) at Keeneland April 13 and a third-place run in the 6 1/2-furlong Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint Stakes Sept. 9 to Lull.

"She's fast. She's very, very fast," said Arnold, who co-bred Morticia along with Humphrey. "At a little farther, they can beat her. I thought (third-place finisher) Lull would be the horse coming, but we had the edge on her being on the outside."

After Morticia lost her right hind shoe in the paddock and the clock ran out on her team to try and repair it in time, Arnold put his faith in her form being able to overcome that disadvantage.

"It was either that or scratch her or run her with three ... and we made the right decision," he said.

What was suggested on paper played out almost to a tee with frontrunning Kasuga assuming the lead out of post 4 and Morticia sitting right off of that one in second through fractions of :22.31 and :45.92 over a course rated firm.

Coming off the final turn, jockey Jose Lezcano went to right-handed urging on Morticia with his mount responding in kind, taking control inside the final furlong as track announcer Kurt Becker declared to the crowd of 17,546 "If it's October, it must be Morticia!".

"I don't tell Jose anything, he's the one who gets her back off the pace a bit," said Arnold, who added Morticia would be put away for the rest of the year. "It's really nice to have a filly that fast that will rate a little bit."

Morticia covered the distance in 1:03.92 and paid out $7.60, $4.20, and $3 across the board. She improves her record to six wins from nine starts with $366,475 in earnings.

Justa Lady was two lengths in front of race favorite Lull, with Kasuga and Always Thinking completing the top five.