Goldberry has first stakes win with Holiday Inaugural

Goldberry sped to her first stakes victory Friday night in the Holiday Inaugural at Turfway Park in northern Kentucky, giving her trainer and jockey their first career stakes triumphs as well.

Rogelio Miranda was aboard Goldberry for Marco Castaneda when the 4-year-old War Chant filly got a perfect trip from just off the pace in defeating 10 other fillies and mares in the six-furlong Holiday Inaugural. The winner paid $12.80 as second choice after finishing in 1:09.92 over Polytrack.

Natural Wonder was second, 1 1/4 lengths behind the winner and another length ahead of Dreamin. In the Mood, the 2-1 favorite, was never a threat when seventh.

For Miranda, who rode his first winner in July 2017 and became a journeyman this past summer, this was just his eighth stakes mount. Castaneda, based at the Thoroughbred training center in Lexington, has trained since 2003.

Goldberry, owned by Karen Schaeffer, was a $5,500 yearling purchase in September 2015 at Keeneland. The filly now has won five of 10 career starts.

The Holiday Inaugural was the first of just two stakes at the 21-day holiday meet at Turfway, with the Dec. 28 Prairie Bayou being the other. The stakes schedule at the subsequent winter-spring meet that starts Jan. 1 will be highlighted as always by the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks, to be run March 9 as a Kentucky Derby qualifying points event.