Malibu Moon filly dominates Golden Rod S. (G2)
November 27, 2016
Farrell takes the $200K Golden Rod S.(G2) by six lengths – Coady Photography
Farrell posted a resounding six-length victory in Saturday’s $200,000 Golden Rod S. (G2) at Churchill Downs, the first stakes win for the 2-year-old Malibu Moon filly. She is the 11th stakes winner and fifth graded winner this year for her sire, whose progeny have earned in excess of $9 million to date this year.
A Stalking third in the $100,000 Rags to Riches S. at Churchill on Oct. 30, Farrell went right to the lead under Channing Hill in the Golden Rod, and never relinquished the top spot. The Wayne Catalano trainee carved out fractions of :48.33 for the half and 1:13.80 for six furlongs before she drew off for the easy win. The final time for the 1 1/16-miles was 1:44.26 (VIDEO).
“It’s an easy ride when you’re on much the best and have everything your way,” Hill said. “The biggest thing was that she settled into the turn and on the backside and from there, it was going to be tough to catch her. She’s got a lot of quality to her. She’s going to be tough wherever she goes this winter.”
“The Rags to Riches was the stepping stone to here and she ran well, but we really, really loved her going into today’s race,” Catalano added. “She trained great, got the race over the track. Everything was beautiful. She’ll probably go to Fair Grounds for the winter.”
Farrell is owned by her breeder Coffee Pot Stable and is now 2-0-1 in four starts and has earned $151,357.
Pedigree Notes from the TDN:
Farrell is out of a highly productive stakes winner/multiple graded stakes place dam Rebridled Dreams, whose prize progeny is Blue Grass S. (G1) and Breeders’ Futurity (G1) hero Carpe Diem. Her sophomore Semper Fortis was second in this term’s Los Alamitos Derby (G2) as well as last week’s Zia Park Derby. J. B.’s Thunder captured the Dixiana Breeders’ Futurity (G1) and Doncaster Rover was a hard-knocking graded stakes performer in England. Rebridled Dreams’s yearling colt by Speightstown hammered down for $675,000 at Keeneland September and she produced a filly by Giant’s Causeway this term.