Spiced Perfection by a neck in Madison Stakes

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Spiced Perfection confirmed her rising-star status in the female sprint ranks, shipping in for the victory over a game Amy's Challenge in the $300,000 Madison Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland, her second Grade 1 victory in her last three starts.

The race was marred by the breakdown of Cathedral Reader in upper stretch. Dr. Bryce Harper, representing the AAEP's On-Call program, said the 4-year-old filly suffered a "pretty severe" forelimb injury and was vanned back to the backstretch, and trainer Dallas Stewart later confirmed that she had been euthanized. Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. was unharmed. Cathedral Reader, who raced for GMB Racing, had been second to Amy's Challenge in the American Beauty Stakes at Oaklawn Park in her prior outing.

Amy's Challenge, stepping up to Grade 1 competition off consecutive stakes wins at Oaklawn, set the pace in the Madison, going her opening quarter in 22.56 seconds and the half in 45.53. Spiced Perfection drafted behind her in second, never more than a length behind. The two were more than five lengths clear of the rest of the field turning into the lane and dueled from there.

“It looked easy, but it’s not easy," said winning jockey Javier Castellano, who later capped a huge day by winning the Blue Grass Stakes on Vekoma. "Had to work hard a bit. When this filly passed the other horse, she thought, 'OK, I’m done.' Had to ride her a little hard to keep the rhythm."

Spiced Perfection hit the wire a neck in front, finishing the seven furlongs in 1:23.49.

"The winner passed me by about a neck in the stretch, and my filly came back, and I passed her," Alex Canchari, aboard Amy's Challenge, said. "But the winner just dug in and got me right on the wire."

After the top two, it was 6 3/4 lengths back to Late Night Pow Wow, who was 1 3/4 lengths clear of America's Tale. The latter nosed out the favored Shamrock Rose, as the Eclipse Award champion female sprinter finished fifth, still looking for her first win of 2019. Shamrock Rose, who was making a five-wide move on the turn, was pushed out a bit farther to avoid the stricken Cathedral Reader but failed to make headway after that.

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Spiced Perfection won the listed Betty Grable Stakes against fellow California-breds in November at Del Mar before stepping up to the Grade 1 level, winning the La Brea Stakes in December at Santa Anita. In her lone start this year prior to Saturday, she had finished second by a head to Late Night Pow Wow in the Grade 3 Barbara Fritchie Stakes at Laurel Park.

"She ran great, she deserved it," trainer Peter Miller said of Spiced Perfection. "She’s got a huge heart. She’s not a big filly. She’s not impressive to look at, but she’s impressive to watch run."

Miller said Spiced Perfection will remain in Kentucky to train for another Grade 1 in this state, the Humana Distaff Stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard.