News & Barn notes

Goldwood Scores In Wire-To-Wire Fashion To Capture Unbridled Elaine Stakes By 1 1/2 Lengths

June 08, 2019

Goldwood took advantage of being the lone speed in the race by cutting out all of the fractions and went on to a 1½ -length victory in the $75,000 Unbridled Elaine Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park – the second stakes victory of the meet for the 5-year-old mare.

Trained by Jorge Duarte, Jr., and ridden by Jose Ferrer, Goldwood controlled the pace in a wire-to-wire performance, skipping through early fractions of :21.27 and :44.20 while having plenty in reserve to hold off Factorofone in the five-furlong grass race for fillies and mares. The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro-Crimson Maple by Rahy flashed under the wire in :55.85 seconds.

Goldwood, now with a 6-2-2 line from 12 career turf starts, won the Politely Stakes at 5½ furlongs on the grass at Monmouth Park on May 18.

Stablemate Misericordia finished third, a length behind Factorofone.

“This filly has speed and I just wanted to get her out in front from the jump, especially in a short field like this,” said Ferrer. “She galloped. Jorge Duarte did a great job of having her ready.

“Once she made the lead I could tell she was gone. She felt strong. She seems like she’s getting better. I needed the speed from her and she came out of there like a rocket. Like a cannon – boom, gone.”

Owned by Colts Neck Stables, Goldwood has two wins and a second from three career grass sprints at Monmouth Park. She was the prohibitive 1-2 favorite in the Unbridled Elaine Stakes.

“I’m happy with her performance,” said Duarte. “She really likes the firm going and Monmouth Park suits her perfectly. The stakes program here fits us perfectly.

“She’ll probably get a little break now after these back-to-back stakes wins but we’ll see. She’s classy and she does everything right so we’ll wait to find the next spot for her, probably at the end of the summer.”