Molly Morgan by a head in Gardenia Stakes

HENDERSON, Ky. – The heavily favored Molly Morgan won the Grade 3, $100,000 Gardenia Stakes on Saturday at Ellis Park, as the public fully expected, though her head margin of victory was short of what was anticipated.

The lone graded stakes winner in the field, Molly Morgan narrowly prevailed in an exciting stretch duel with Tapit’s World, who closed determinedly down the middle of the track but proved just unable to catch the winner. Molly Morgan raced a mile on a fast track in 1:36.72 and paid $3.60.

The key to victory seemed a decision by winning jockey Jesus Castanon to move Molly Morgan off the fence and into the clear down the backstretch on the outside of leader Livi Makenzie, avoiding getting boxed in behind a slow pace. This move brought her from fourth after a quarter-mile in 24.10 seconds into second place, as Livi Makenzie clocked a half-mile in 47.89.

Molly Morgan then assumed the lead, taking command with six furlongs in 1:12.28, and seemed positioned to surge clear over the final quarter-mile. But when set down for the drive, she was only able to gradually pull away from Livi Makenzie, who held third, and had just enough to last over Tapit’s World, who had rallied from seventh.

“I knew the horse coming on the outside was coming pretty strong, but my filly was good enough to come back and be the best,” said Castanon.

Jockey Chris Landeros was pleased with the performance of the runner-up, who picked up her first stakes placing.

“Hats off to the winner, but I gave her a good try, though,” he said. “She just had too much heart on the Inside. She wouldn’t let me by.”

Molly Morgan, a 5-year-old daughter of Ghostzapper owned by Bill Cubbedge and trained by Dale Romans, won her second graded stakes of the year. In June, she picked up her first graded stakes victory in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Handicap at Churchill Downs.