Update: Goodnight Olive will not take on boys in the Met Mile

Goodnight Olive, the 5-year-old mare who won seven straight before finishing third in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff, will not run in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) on June 10 at Belmont Park.

Co-owner Dr. Steve Laymon told Horse Racing Nation on Thursday that although the Met Mile had been a consideration, her connections had decided against it.

Trained by Chad Brown, the 2022 champion female sprinter also is nominated to take on other fillies and mares in the Ogden Phipps (G1) the same day.

Laymon told Daily Racing Form on Monday that she was likely to run in either the Ogden Phipps or the $200,000 Bed o’ Roses (G2) on June 17.

The Met Mile is an automatic qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, and the Ogden Phipps winner gets a slot in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

The Met Mile would have been be a tough task. The expected entrants include Cody's Wish, winner of five in a row, including the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and the Churchill Downs (G1) on the Kentucky Derby undercard in his only start this year. Also expected is Taiba, winner of the Malibu Stakes (G1) this year before finishing eighth in the Saudi Cup (G1).

Goodnight Olive, a daughter of Ghostzapper, had three consecutive Grade 1 wins heading into the Derby City Distaff. She won the Ballerina Handicap by 2 3/4 lengths in August and then came back with a 2 1/2-length win in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

She opened 2023 with a win in the Madison before her third-place finish in the Derby City Distaff. According to the Equibase chart, she was “boxed in by Wicked Halo throughout and never found room to the wire.”

The race was won by Matareya, with Wicked Halo a length behind in second and Goodnight Olive another length behind.

Besides the Derby City Distaff, Goodnight Olive's only other loss from nine career starts was in her debut, when she finished second.