Golden Rod Holds Plenty of Opportunity

A dozen juvenile fillies are expected to fill the gate for the $200,000 Golden Rod Stakes (gr. II) Nov. 29 at Churchill Downs, and the possibilities look endless. A lone maiden is included in the field of well-heeled fillies that features a few stakes horses and several impressive maiden winners.



The Golden Rod, run at 1 1/16 miles, has a posttime of 4:35 p.m. EST and goes as race 9, two races before the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (gr. II) for 2-year-old males.



Those figuring to draw the most attention are the fillies with some stakes class behind them: grade II winner Cristina's Journey, stakes winner Heart's Song, West Coast Belle and Simply Confection—the one-two finishers in the local Rags to Riches Stakes—and stakes-placed Ancient Goddess.



GSN (Tim Newcomer) Racing's Cristina's Journey won the Pocahontas Stakes (gr. II) under the Twin Spires Sept. 6, getting the same trip in 1:46.37. The bay filly by Any Given Saturday  —Toss the Feather, by Dixie Union, traveled West for the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) but never really got on track, after a bad start, finishing 11th.



A $37,000 Keeneland September yearling sale grad bred by Phil and Judy Needham and Ben Halecky, Cristina's Journey will be ridden for the first time by Robby Albarado for trainer Dale Romans.



Heart's Song, owned by Bernard Schaeffer and trained by William Connelly was a three-length winner of the City of Anderson Stakes at Indiana Grand Race Course Oct. 1 going six furlongs. Stretched out to a mile and 70 yards Nov. 1 for the Miss Indiana Stakes, the daughter of Desert Party   finished second under Jon Court to Spooled.

Brian Hernandez Jr. gets the call at Churchill Downs, where Heart's Song broke her maiden June 15 going 5 1/2 furlongs. She was bred in Indiana by Justice Farm and Greg Justice.



On Oct. 26, West Coast Belle cruised to a 6 3/4-length win in the one-mile Rags to Riches Stakes at Churchill, with Simply Confection giving chase.



Gary and Mary West's West Coast Belle is a home-bred filly by Tapit   out of Splended Solution, by Unbridled's Song. She is 2-for-2, having broken her maiden at first asking Sept. 13 at Monmouth Park. Xpress Thoroughbreds' Simply Confection, by Candy Ride  , confirmed that stakes form by winning a 1 1/16-mile allowance/optional claiming race by three lengths under Court Nov. 9. The veteran rider sticks here aboard the bay filly who cost but $20,000 at last year's September sale.



Outside in post 11 is Ancient Goddess, a French-bred filly who makes her dirt debut in the Golden Rod while adding blinkers. Martin Garcia has the call for trainer John Terranova. She was third on the turf at Saratoga Race Course in the listed P.G. Johnson Stakes, then sixth, beaten 5 1/2 lengths by Lady Eli in the Miss Grillo Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Belmont Park Sept. 28. Lady Eli was a dazzler at the Breeders' Cup, taking the Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT) by 2 3/4 lengths.



No Fault of Mine, a daughter of Blame  , was an impressive maiden winner on the Arlington International Race Course Polytrack Sept. 28, and Zayat Stables' Jojo's Melody, also trained by Romans, turned heads in her first win locally Oct. 26 under Corey Lanerie.