Marwood's first start for Margolis
Steve Margolis is on the upswing again. After enduring the disappointment of having a Breeders' Cup winner taken away from him, Margolis has quietly gone about the business of rejuvenating his stable, and the results are promising.
Margolis, the former Stan Hough assistant who went out on his own four years ago, will saddle Marwood as the probable favorite Saturday in the $50,000 My Charmer Stakes at Turfway Park, where a full field of fillies and mares was entered in the 1 1/16-mile race. The My Charmer marks the first start for Marwood since she was purchased for $340,000 out of the Franks Farms dispersal at the Keeneland breeding stock sale last month.
For Margolis, who won the BC Sprint last year with Cajun Beat, the arrival of a stakes-proven horse into his barn could not come soon enough. Cajun Beat was removed from his care last summer by Padua Stables, and Margolis has persisted in his efforts to rebuild. He caught a break when bloodstock agent Jerry Bailey recommended him to Lance Robinson, the new owner of Marwood. Robinson and Margolis teamed last Saturday to win the Katy Stakes at Sam Houston with another former Franks runner, Key to the Cat.
Marwood "is an extremely nice filly," Margolis said Thursday from Churchill Downs. "Jerry and Lance really liked her, and since I got her four or five weeks ago, she's really impressed me.
"Her last work was excellent," said Margolis, referring to a five-furlong breeze in 1:01.20 on Dec. 3. "We're going up to Turfway Saturday with a lot of optimism."
Marwood, a 4-year-old Marlin filly, won 7 of 12 starts when based in northern California with her former trainer, Jerry Hollendorfer. She already has won three stakes this year, the latest coming in her most recent start, the Oct. 23 Golden Poppy at Bay Meadows. Margolis said the main goal for Marwood is the $500,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf on Jan. 29 at Gulfstream Park.
Marwood will be ridden by Dean Sarvis when she breaks from post 11 in the 25th running of the My Charmer, which also has Two Mile Hill (post 2), Red Cell (post 5), Turn to Lass (post 6), and Miss Wellspring (post 10) as logical contenders. Thirteen were entered, including one also-eligible.
The My Charmer, named for the dam of the great Seattle Slew, is the 10th of 12 races on a Saturday card that starts at 1:10 p.m. Eastern.