Malathaat takes conservative route by going in Doubledogdare in 2022 debut

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Malathaat maybe could’ve started her season in a Grade 1, but no. Instead, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2021 will make her 4-year-old debut Friday in the Grade 3 Doubledogdare Stakes at Keeneland, a calculated decision from her Hall of Fame trainer, Todd Pletcher.

Already a three-time Grade 1 winner, Malathaat could’ve jumped into the proverbial deep end right away by going in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom on Saturday at Oaklawn Park or the Grade 1 La Troienne on May 6 at Churchill Downs. Pletcher thought a more conservative approach would suit better in the long run.

“We designed it this way,” said Pletcher. “I felt like if we needed more time with her, maybe we could’ve started off in the La Troienne, but everything has gone smoothly in her training and she’s right where we want her to be for her first start of the year.

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“I like the timing of this. I felt like if we waited any longer, we’d probably be overdoing it. This also gives her a little extra time if we end up going back in the Ogden Phipps,” a Grade 1 race on the June 11 Belmont Stakes undercard. “I just felt like the spacing was a little better starting off here.”

All of which is something of a bummer for the other five fillies and mares entered in the $300,000 Doubledogdare, a 1 1/16-mile race that anchors the Friday card at Keeneland. Malathaat, owned by Shadwell Stable, has been a standout since she began her career some 18 months ago, winning six of eight starts, including Grade 1 triumphs in the Ashland, Kentucky Oaks, and Alabama in a 2021 campaign that resulted in a divisional Eclipse Award.

Malathaat has had eight workouts at Palm Beach Downs since she got a short break after a third-place finish in the Nov. 6 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar. She will have John Velazquez aboard breaking from post 1 in the 27th Doubledogdare. Malathaat earned a career-high 102 Beyer Speed Figure when she closed belatedly to finish just a half-length behind 49-1 winner Marche Lorraine in the Distaff.

The fact the Breeders’ Cup returns to Keeneland this fall also was a factor in running Malathaat here. The BC Distaff is set for Nov. 5.

“She showed in the Ashland that she likes Keeneland, although obviously she likes Churchill, too,” said Pletcher. “But with the Breeders’ Cup being there at Keeneland, another run over the track wouldn’t hurt, I suppose.”

Fresh from the layoff, Malathaat and Crazy Beautiful (post 5, Brian Hernandez Jr.) may find themselves just a few lengths off the early pace, which likely will be contested by longshots Super Quick (post 2, Joe Talamo) and Lady Mystify (post 6, Flavien Prat). Farther back as the race unfolds will be Audrey’s Time (post 3, Corey Lanerie) and Bonny South (post 4, Florent Geroux).

If an upset is to occur, Bonny South may be the one to pull it off. The 5-year-old Juddmonte Farms homebred returns from a layoff of nearly five months after finishing second by six lengths behind Envoutante in the Falls City last November at Churchill.

Bonny South won the Doubledogdare last year in a tight three-way photo after having finished second, also by six lengths, behind Envoutante in the 2020 Falls City.

“Maybe we’re onto something,” laughed her trainer, Brad Cox. “No, the mare is really doing good. This is a good spot to start her off, although obviously Malathaat could be tough to get past.”

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Crazy Beautiful, trained by Kenny McPeek, also deserves to attract her share of play. The 4-year-old gray has shown remarkable versatility in her 16 starts, winning on dirt, turf, and synthetic, with a pair of Grade 2 victories being her career highlights.

The Doubledogdare, named for Claiborne Farm’s star filly of the mid-1950s, goes as the ninth of 10 races. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern, with the feature set for 5:16.

Main-track races at 1 1/16 miles at Keeneland begin and end at what otherwise is the sixteenth pole.

After weeks of unseasonable chill and frequent rain in the Bluegrass region, the weather is finally turning warm and dry this weekend. Mostly sunny skies and highs near 80 are in the local forecast through Sunday.