Marley's Freedom, Spiced Perfection Top Humana Distaff

Two grade 1-winning West Coast fillies headline the $500,000 Humana Distaff Stakes (G1) May 4, when Marley's Freedom and Spiced Perfection meet for the first time in the seven-furlong test for older fillies and mares.

Marley's Freedom is among the group of horses Bob Baffert shipped with his three Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) contenders. She won four consecutive races last year for Cicero Farms, including the Ketel One Ballerina Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, and finished fourth beaten only half a length in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) right here at Churchill Downs. The daughter of Blame  closed out last season with a win in the Go for Wand Handicap (G1) at Aqueduct Racetrack, then in her 5-year-old debut, the Santa Monica Stakes (G2), bested multiple graded stakes winner Selcourt back home at Santa Anita Park.

Marley's Freedom was last seen chasing home Secret Spice in the Beholder Mile Stakes (G1), but was second-best by 2 1/4 lengths. She turned in a sharp breeze in Louisville April 28, working a bullet five-eighths in :59 1/5.

Spiced Perfection was already proven as a consistent runner against other California-bred horses, having won three restricted stakes and placing in four more for Pantofel Stable, Wachtel Stable, and Peter Deutsch. She broke through in the La Brea Stakes (G1) in her final start with Brian Koriner before she was moved to Peter Miller's barn, then shipped to Laurel Park to finish second by a head in the Barbara Fritchie Stakes (G3). The Smiling Tiger  filly next dug in for a gutsy neck win in the Madison Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, where she stayed for the meet, over Amy's Challenge, who was 6 3/4 lengths ahead of the third-place finisher.

Spiced Perfection holds a 3-2-0 record from six starts at the seven-furlong distance.

Novogratz Racing Stables' Amy's Challenge returns to Churchill Downs for the first time in a year. The 4-year-old Artie Schiller filly finished seventh in last year's Eight Belles Stakes presented by Kentucky Trailer (G2). She's had five starts since then, winning three of them and laying it down in the Madison for second. The Madison also gave the McLean Robertson trainee a solid seven-furlong performance. She scored two open-length wins in the American Beauty and Spring Fever stakes during the Oaklawn Park meet leading up to the Madison, but those races were run at six and 5 1/2 furlongs, respectively. 

Amy's Challenge tuned up at Churchill Downs April 27, breezing a bullet half in :47 3/5.

Marley Freedom's stablemate Emboldened arrived April 27 and has never been off the board in five starts. Godolphin's homebred Elusive Quality filly has a win at the Humana Distaff distance from a year ago in the Angels Flight Stakes, where she rallied to defeat dual grade 1 winner Moonshine Memories. She was third, beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Spiced Perfection, in the La Brea and returned this year for a runner-up finish in the Las Flores Stakes (G3).

Completing the Humana Distaff field are last year's Eight Belles winner Mia Mischief, Indiana Oaks (G3) winner and Alabama Stakes (G1) runner-up Talk Veuve to Me, and Spring in the Wind, who enters off a maiden and two allowance wins, all at Woodbine.

Entries: Humana Distaff S. (G1)

Churchill Downs, Saturday, May 04, 2019, Race 6

• Grade I
• 7f
• Dirt
• $500,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 1:13 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Spring in the Wind (ON)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Anthony T. Quartarolo	20/1
2	2Spiced Perfection (CA)	Javier Castellano	123	Peter Miller	7/2
3	3Mia Mischief (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	118	Steven M. Asmussen	12/1
4	4Talk Veuve to Me (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	118	Rodolphe Brisset	4/1
5	5Amy's Challenge (KY)	Alex L. Canchari	118	McLean Robertson	4/1
6	6Emboldened (KY)	Joel Rosario	118	Bob Baffert	8/1
7	7Marley's Freedom (KY)	Mike E. Smith	120	Bob Baffert	7/5