Bed o' Roses Stakes 2023: Odds, free PPs for Belmont feature

The reigning champion female sprinter squares off Saturday with some of her toughest division rivals at Belmont Park.

Goodnight Olive is the 6-5 morning-line favorite for the Grade 2, $200,000 Bed o’ Roses Stakes. Post time from Belmont is 5:19 p.m. EDT, with FS2 showing the seven-furlong sprint for 4-and-up fillies and mares.

Trained by Chad Brown, Goodnight Olive enters with Saturday with a 9: 7-1-1 record and nearly $1.47 million earned. She was awarded the 2022 Eclipse Award for top female sprinter thanks to wins in Saratoga’s Ballerina Handicap (G1) and the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Keeneland.

Goodnight Olive kept things rolling in April at Keeneland, winning the Madison Stakes (G1) for her seventh straight score. But the win streak stopped May 6 at Churchill Downs, when the 1-2 favorite was boxed in and third behind Matareya and Wicked Halo in the Derby City Distaff (G1).

The 5-year-old Ghostzapper mare will aim to return to the winner’s circle Saturday under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. for owners First Row Partners and Team Hanley.

Caramel Swirl (5-2) was runner-up to Goodnight Olive three starts back in the Ballerina. The Bill Mott trainee enters this race off a local score May 14 in the Vagrancy Stakes (G3).

Wicked Halo (7-2) beat Matareya in Oaklawn’s Matron Stakes in March, then finished behind that one and Goodnight Olive in the Derby City. She is a three-time Grade 2 winner for trainer Steve Asmussen.

Here is a look at the field for the 2023 Bed o’ Roses Stakes (trainers and jockeys in parentheses) with morning-line odds:

1. Goodnight Olive (Chad Brown, Irad Ortiz Jr.), 6-5

2. Beguine (Edward Allard, Javier Castellano), 8-1

3. Wicked Halo (Steve Asmussen, Jose Ortiz), 7-2

4. Dr B (Butch Reid, Kendrick Carmouche), 4-1

5. Caramel Swirl (Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado), 5-2

TimeformUS pace projections show Beguine, the longest shot on the morning line at 8-1, going to the early lead under jockey Javier Castellano in a race that could favor front runners.

Visit Horse Racing Nation’s free past performances page for more information on the Bed o’ Roses Stakes and some of Saturday’s other best events.

Bed o’ Roses links

“Between Matareya, Goodnight Olive, Echo Zulu and Wicked Halo – I think one of those four is getting the (Eclipse Award) trophy this year,” said David Fiske, racing manager for Wicked Halo's owner and breeder, Winchell Thoroughbreds.

Goodnight Olive and Caramel Swirl are joined by buzzy juvenile Mirahmadi as J. Keeler Johnson’s watch list horses in action this weekend.

Goodnight Olive tops Chip Gehrke’s division rankings of female sprinters, two spots ahead of Wicked Halo.

This week on HorseCenter, hosts Matt Shifman and Brian Zipse preview the Bed o’ Roses Stakes. The two also offer current rankings of America’s best Thoroughbreds.

Other Saturday stakes

Here is a look at some of the other stakes races of note taking place Saturday across the U.S. All post times are EDT.

4:44 p.m. – $150,000 Pegasus Stakes, 3-year-olds, 1 1/16 miles, Monmouth Park, FanDuel TV

Kingsbarns (8-5), the Louisiana Derby (G2) winner, took his first career loss May 6 in his fourth start, finishing 14th at Churchill Downs in the Kentucky Derby. Trainer Todd Pletcher has tabbed jockey Luis Saez to ride the Uncle Mo colt in this local prep for the $1 million Haskell Stakes (G1) on July 22. Pletcher also trains Classic Catch (3-1), fourth May 13 at Belmont Park in the Peter Pan Stakes (G3), which was won by next-out Belmont Stakes hero Arcangelo. Salute the Stars (9-2) steps up to stakes flight for trainer Brad Cox after beating allowance foes May 14 at Churchill.

5:11 p.m. – $175,000 Monomoy Girl Overnight Stakes, 3-year-old fillies, one mile, Ellis Park, FS2

Wet Paint (6-5) went off May 5 in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) as an 8-5 favorite and finished fourth at Churchill, three lengths back of winner Pretty Mischievous. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione pilots the Blame filly, a two-time Grade 3 winner, for Cox. Tom Amoss trains Hoosier Philly (7-5), a Grade 2 victor who was runner-up May 19 at Pimlico in the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2). Sabra Tuff (5-1) was sixth on the Kentucky Oaks card in the Eight Belles Stakes (G2) at seven furlongs for trainer Dallas Stewart.

5:12 p.m. – $150,000 Eatontown Stakes (G3), 3-and-up fillies and mares, 1 1/16 miles (turf), Monmouth Park, FanDuel TV

Gina Romantica (3-1) makes her 2023 bow after finishing 2022 by winning the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) on Oct. 15 at Keeneland. Jockey Florent Geroux is in New Jersey on Saturday and will ride the 4-year-old Into Mischief filly for trainer Chad Brown. Brown also trains Consumer Spending (7-2), a Grade 2 victor who was second off a lengthy layoff May 7 at Belmont in the Beaugay Stakes (G3). Surprisingly (7-2), a Grade 3 winner, was third in the Beaugay for trainer Shug McGaughey.

5:40 p.m. – $150,000 Salvator Mile Stakes (G3), 3-and-up, one mile, Monmouth Park, FanDuel TV

Artorius (3-1), a Saratoga stakes winner for Brown, returns for his first start since finishing fourth Oct. 22 at Keeneland in the Perryville Stakes. Geroux will climb aboard the 4-year-old Arrogate colt. Bruce Kravets trains Laurel Park and Penn National stakes victor Nimitz Class (7-2), whose graded debut comes off a 5 1/4-length allowance win May 22 at Parx. Petulante (9-2) also steps into graded flight for the first time after winning an allowance race on the Kentucky Derby undercard for trainer Victor Barboza Jr.

6:08 p.m. – $150,000 Monmouth Stakes (G3), 3-and-up, 1 1/8 miles (turf), Monmouth Park, FanDuel TV

Tribhuvan (9-5), who won Monmouth’s 2021 United Nations Stakes (G1) and Belmont’s 2022 Manhattan Stakes (G1) for Brown, leads a prep for the $600,000 United Nations on July 22. Geroux will get a leg up on the 7-year-old Toronado gelding, whose last start was Aug. 27 at Saratoga when sixth in the Sword Dancer Stakes (G1). McGaughey trains Never Explain (3-1) winner of Pimlico’s Dinner Party Stakes (G3) on the Preakness Stakes undercard May 20. Catnip (7-2) has won back-to-back allowance races, the last of which was May 27 at Monmouth, for trainer Michael Stidham.