Few expected to face Malathaat in Doubledogdare

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Malathaat figures as a heavy favorite when she makes her 4-year-old debut Friday at Keeneland in what is expected to be a short field of fillies and mares in the Grade 3 Doubledogdare. Entries for the 1 1/16-mile race are to be drawn Tuesday.

Malathaat, the 3-year-old filly champion of 2021, has had eight works since mid-February for trainer Todd Pletcher. The Curlin filly won three Grade 1 races last year, including the Kentucky Oaks.

The Grade 2 Elkhorn and Grade 3 Ben Ali are the Saturday features.

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◗ Shahama will be ridden by Flavien Prat in the Kentucky Oaks on May 6, said Pletcher, her new trainer. Shahama was a two-length winner of her most recent start, the UAE Oaks on Feb. 18 in Dubai, when still trained by Fawzi Nass for Khk Racing. The Munnings filly has had three April works at the Palm Beach Downs training center in Florida.

Pletcher also trains one of the Oaks favorites in Nest, an easy winner of the opening-day Ashland at Keeneland.

Meanwhile, Echo Zulu, one of the Oaks favorites, also worked early Sunday at Churchill, going five furlongs in a minute in company with a 3-year-old maiden colt named King Ottoman.

◗ Wagering at Keeneland continues at a record pace. All-sources handle on the 11-race Saturday card was more than $27.3 million, second in track history for a non-Breeders’ Cup card, behind only the $28.1 million bet the previous Saturday, Blue Grass Stakes Day. Keeneland also handled single-pool records on the late pick five ($1,539,098) and late pick four ($1,357,298) on Saturday.

◗ Soup and Sandwich and Highly Motivated, both of whom finished well back in the 2021 Kentucky Derby, finished third and fourth in the last race Saturday. The seven-furlong allowance was won by Awesome Gerry, a 20-1 shot trained by Saffie Joseph Jr.

◗ Corniche, the 2-year-old champion colt of 2021, had his first work of the year, going three furlongs in 36.80 seconds Friday at the WinStar training center in nearby Versailles.

◗ Through the first seven of 15 cards at the spring meet, favorites are winning at a 34 percent clip (23 of 68), with field size averaging 9.4 horses per race.