Hello Beautiful Skips Home as Golden Lad's First Winner

Trainer Brittany Russell and Dark Horse Racing's 2-year-old filly Hello Beautiful became the first winner for freshman sire Golden Lad  when she romped by 5 1/2 lengths at Laurel Park July 27.

Ridden by Sheldon Russell in the 5 1/2-furlong, $46,761 waiver maiden claiming event, Hello Beautiful grabbed the lead at the break and continued to put distance between herself and the other eight runners. The dark bay/brown filly ticked off opening fractions in :21.98 and :45.15 before a final time of 1:03.52 on a fast main track.

Saturday's race gave Hello Beautiful a 1-1-1 record from three starts and $40,092 in earnings.

Bred in Maryland by Hillwood Stables, Hello Beautiful is the second of four foals out of the winning Tiznow  mare Hello Now, who is a daughter of grade 2 winner and grade 1-placed Hello Liberty. Hello Beautiful's extended female family includes Significant Form, winner of the Miss Grillo (G3T) and Intercontinental (G3T) stakes, and Commonwealth Turf Stakes (G3T) winner Hay Dakota.

Russell purchased Hello Beautiful for $6,500 from Dark Hollow Farm's consignment at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December Mixed and Horses of Racing Age Sale.

Golden Lad is out of the stakes-winning mare Broadway Gold, by Seeking the Gold, and is a half brother to multiple graded stakes winner Broadway's Alibi, a Kentucky Oaks (G1) runner-up, and multiple stakes winner R Gypsy Gold, who is also grade 1-placed. The 9-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro  was trained by Todd Pletcher for E. Paul Robsham Stables and earned $645,320 from an 8-2-0 record in 15 starts. The Razorback Handicap (G3) and Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap (G3) are among his four stakes wins.

Golden Lad entered stud in 2016 at Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City, Md., where his fee has been listed at $5,000 throughout his four breeding seasons.