Goldwood Stakes provides challenge to handicappers

A week after the Get Serious, a Monmouth Park turf-sprint stakes for older males, drew a surprisingly salty bunch, the Goldwood, a turf sprint for older fillies and mares, came up a seriously challenging race.

The Goldwood, carded for 5 1/2 furlongs, drew an overflow field of a dozen 4- and 5-year-olds. Ten horses can start, leaving no-hoper Velikiy and longshot Queen Karima as also-eligibles. Among the 10 in the race’s main body, it’s difficult even to say who will be favored.

It could be Beauty of the Sea, the mount of Monmouth’s perennial leading rider, Paco Lopez. Beauty of the Sea, trained by Joe Orseno for Ironhorse Racing, returns just 15 days after taking a tough loss in a stakes-level Churchill Downs turf-sprint allowance, where she contested a strong pace and battled inside eventual winner Tony Ann, a graded stakes-class turf sprinter at her peak.

Four-year-old Beauty of the Sea has gone 3-2-0 from five grass sprints contested on firm ground, among her wins the Blue Sparkler Stakes last summer at Monmouth. Beauty of the Sea returned from a winter break a stronger, faster filly, and Lopez can put her tactical versatility to good use breaking from an inside post with early speed drawn to her outside.

Six horses exit the The Very One Stakes at Pimlico, a race easily won by Future Is Now, who returned to capture the Grade 2 Intercontinental at Saratoga. Aside from the winner, who is very good, The Very One returned strange results. The second-, third-, and fourth-place finishers are back for the Goldwood, but expecting Shoshanah, second at 22-1, and Hollywood Walk, third at 28-1, to run back to their form from the The Very One seems imprudent.

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Fourth-place Queen of the Mud stands a stronger chance and could vie for Goldwood favoritism. Queen of the Mud finished a solid fourth in the The Very One while never appearing especially comfortable over a course less than firm. Racing along the fence in her first start since October, Queen of the Mud only went evenly through the final furlong, but the filly makes just the fifth start of her career and based on her 2023 form looks likely to improve.

La Traviesa finished sixth in the The Very One and isn’t fast enough to crack the exacta in the Goldwood, while Bosserati, ninth in the The Very One, should prove little more than a pace casualty Saturday. Bosserati beat one horse in her last start, All That Magic, but she rates the strongest chance of anyone coming out of the The Very One.

All That Magic was a mid-50s Beyer Speed Figure horse after making four starts on dirt, but a switch to turf sprinting about a year ago at Monmouth completely turned around her career. She ran poorly over a soft course at Parx Racing in the Turf Monster, but otherwise has 2023 turf sprint form stronger than any of her Goldwood opponents. All That Magic, trained by Kathleen DeMasi, went 3 for 3 on the Monmouth course, and her tactical versatility should lead to a decent trip despite a wide draw Saturday.

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