Eclipse winner Goodnight Olive comes back best in Madison

In her first race in defense of her female-sprint championship,Goodnight Olive did not wait long to recapture her top form. It was just aquestion of whether she got their too fast to start the Grade 1, $600,000Madison Stakes.

“I just didn’t want to be in a speed duel,” her jockey IradOrtiz Jr. said. “She’s quick, but she can come from off the pace, too.”

One might say she did both Saturday when she took back to astalking position, circled rivals on the turn, responded to late urging from Ortiz and cruised to a one-length triumph in theseven-furlong race that was run on a cool, cloudy, spring afternoon at Keeneland.

Goodnight Olive is back! Watch our #BreedersCup Champ win the Madison Stakes at @keenelandracing. ?? pic.twitter.com/TOnGEwC3ZU

— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) April 8, 2023

It was the comeback race for the 5-year-old Ghostzapper marewho had been given a break after she won over the same seven furlongs ofKeeneland dirt Nov. 5 in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

Call it as much a celebration as it was a sigh of relief forlead owner Steve Laymon, who saw the best horse he ever owned go off at odds of2-5.

“Irad said he asked her to put away the speed,” said Laymon, whose First Row Partners owns Goodnight Olive with Jay Hanley.“He said she accelerated so fast for him. She kind of got to the front, and hesaid, ‘I only hit her one time, because I felt clear.’”

The race did not seem as close as the final marginsuggested. Maryquitecontrary (8-1) closed to the outside and was creeping up onGoodnight Olive at the end, but she really was not a threat to prevent theEclipse Award winner from winning for the sixth time in a row.

“She ran excellently,” jockey Luca Panici said of the 4-year-oldrunner-up who herself had won her last five races, most recently the InsideInformation (G2) on Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park. “We were against a champion.For a moment I thought that I had it, but there’s no complaints. She ran huge.”

Just not as big as Goodnight Olive, who was clocked at1:23.12 over the fast, main track. That was in contrast to the 1:21.61 over thesame layout in the Breeders’ Cup. Then again, that faster time came on the heels of three summertimeraces.

“I think that the trainer (Chad Brown) and his team,” Ortizsaid, “they had great teamwork to get her back 100 percent.”

After Ortiz took Goodnight Olive back to mid-pack throughthe first half-mile, 2022 Cotillion (G1) winner Society (9-2) set the pace and was clocked with opening fractions of 22.53 and 45.93 seconds.

Goodnight Olive was well in hand when Ortiz asked her tomake her move on the turn. Turning for home, she led by three lengths with athree-quarter-mile time of 1:10.51.

Panici took Maryquitecontrary into the four path and wasmaking up ground, but there was not enough left, especially after Ortiz asked for just a bit more at the eighth pole.

Society faded to third, 5 1/4 lengths up the track fromGoodnight Olive. Cocktail Moments (16-1) and Yuugiri (7-1) finished in thatorder in fourth and fifth.

Goodnight Olive paid $2.74, $2.14 and $2.10; Maryquitecontrary $4.20 and $3.05; and Society $2.16.

Brown was watching on TV from Aqueduct while dealing with a full card there, so Laymon got tofield questions about what will be next for Goodnight Olive.

“It’s the classic line you always say,” Laymon said laughing. “We’ll see howthey come out and look down the road. There are a lot of good races for her. Ifshe comes out well, we might look at the (Derby City Distaff, G1) at Churchill onDerby day. But that’s four weeks, so that’s kind of quick.”

Laymon also suggested Brown eventually might take Goodnight Oliveout of her sprinting comfort zone.

“If things went better, we’d see from there in trying to stretch her out alittle bit,” Laymon said. “We’ll see. It’s a long season, and I trust Chad’sdecision making.”