Personal Best runs into an unexpected ‘Goddess' in Bewitch

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Recency will be on the side of Personal Best when the gray Tapit filly runs Friday in the closing-day Bewitch Stakes at Keeneland – and she’ll need every edge she can get.

“I didn’t think War Like Goddess would be in there,” said Shug McGaughey, who trains Personal Best for owner-breeder Joe Allen. “No doubt she’s a top filly. But we’ve been running lately and she hasn’t. Maybe that’ll help us.”

The Grade 3, $300,000 Bewitch drew a field of six fillies and mares going 1 1/2 miles on turf. War Like Goddess is an imposing figure, given she’s been an Eclipse Award finalist in the filly-mare turf division each of the last two years and will be gunning for a rare three-peat in the Bewitch after capturing the 2021 and 2022 renewals. In all, the 6-year-old English Channel mare has won 9 of 13 starts and is less than $28,000 away from surpassing the $2 million earnings mark.

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War Like Goddess, trained by Bill Mott for George Krikorian, will be making her first start since finishing third versus males in the Breeders’ Cup Turf here last fall. In the meantime, Personal Best has made steady progress in four starts dating to mid-November, with her last two resulting in a victory in the Jan. 28 La Prevoyante and a runner-up finish in the April 1 Orchid, both on the Gulfstream Park turf.

“She’s really shown up in all her races,” McGaughey said. “This ought to give us a shot to see what we’ve got.”

From the rail, this is the field for the Bewitch, the eighth of 10 Friday races: Chaton Rouge, Temple City Terror, Ensemble, War Like Goddess, Personal Best, and Sopran Basilea.

After Keeneland closes, live action on the Kentucky circuit resumes Saturday night when Churchill Downs in Louisville begins its spring meet. The $175,000 Roxelana, a six-furlong dash for filles and mares, will be the opening-night feature, with Coppelia, Last Leaf, My Destiney, and Pretty Birdie among those expected.

Churchill will mostly run Thursdays through Sundays, with some exceptions. The track will be dark the first two Sundays (April 30 and May 7) and racing will be conducted Tuesday (May 2) and Wednesday (May 3) of Derby week. The meet runs through July 3.

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