Champion Malathaat Returns with Baird Doubledogdare Victory

Shadwell Stable’s Malathaat, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2021, made a stylish return to the races by posting a three-quarters of a length victory over Bonny South in the 27^th running of the $300,000 Baird Doubledogdare (G3) for fillies and mares on a sun-splashed Friday afternoon. 

Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by John Velazquez, Malathaat completed the mile and a sixteenth over a fast main track in 1:44.58. 

It is the fifth time Pletcher and Velazquez have teamed to win this race. Their other victories came with Colony Band (2005), Pool Land (2006), Embur’s Song (2011) and Unbridled Mo (2017). Velazquez also won the 2015 Doubledogdare aboard Deceptive Vision. 

Lady Mystify outgunned Super Quick for the early lead while Malathaat was guided off the rail from post one to the four path for clear racing room. 

Lady Mystify opened a 3-length lead and led the field through fractions of :23.74 and :46.89 with Super Quick maintaining a 6-length advantage over Malathaat and Crazy Beautiful, who raced a joint third in the run down the backstretch. 

On the far turn, Malathaat began to close in on the leaders with a three-wide move. At the top of the stretch, Velazquez had clear sailing and roared past Lady Mystify at the eighth pole and had enough to hold off Bonny South. 

Sold for $1.05 million at Keeneland’s 2019 September Yearling Sale, Malathaat is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Curlin out of the A.P. Indy mare Dreaming of Julia. Winner of the Central Bank Ashland (G1) here last spring in her other Keeneland start, Malathaat improved her record to 9-7-1-1 and boosted her earnings to $1,918,825 with the addition of Friday’s $183,675 check. 

Malathaat returned $2.60, $2.10 and $2.10. Bonny South, ridden by Florent Geroux, returned $2.80 and $2.20 and finished a length in front of Super Quick and Lady Mystify, who finished in a dead heat for third and returned $3.20 and $2.60, respectively. 

It was another 2½ lengths back to Audrey’s Time in fifth with Crazy Beautiful following in sixth.