Lady Sabelia, Sam's Sister Featured in Madison
Mrs. Frank Wright’s Lady Sabelia, winner of her past four races and six of her past seven, and Mark DeDomenico, Jerry Hollendorfer and George Todaro’s Grade 1 winner Sam’s Sister headline a field of six sprinters entered Tuesday for Saturday’s 14th running of the $350,000 Madison (G1).
The seven-furlong main track test for fillies and mares will go as the sixth race on Saturday’s 11-race program that features four other graded stakes, including the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1) and the $500,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1). First post Saturday is 12:35 p.m. ET with the Madison scheduled for 3:28 p.m.
Trained by Robin Graham, Lady Sabelia won the Barbara Fritchie (G2) in her graded stakes debut in her most recent start that came at Laurel on Feb. 14. In that race she defeated Sam’s Sister, who finished fourth as the favorite in the field of 10.
Horacio Karamanos has the mount on Lady Sabelia, who will break from post position four.
Prior to her setback in the Barbara Fritchie, Sam’s Sister posted victories in the La Brea (G1) and Santa Monica (G2) at Santa Anita. Trained by Hollendorfer, Sam’s Sister will be ridden by Gary Stevens and break from post position one.
Another intriguing member of the Madison cast is Town and Country Farm’s Stopchargingmaria. A five-time graded stakes winner with triumphs in the Alabama (G1) and Coaching Club of America Oaks (G1), Stopchargingmaria will be making her first start in more than six months and first start at the Madison distance since a runner-up finish in the Spinaway (G1) as a 2-year-old in 2013.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Stopchargingmaria will break from post position three and be ridden by John Velazquez.
The field for the Madison, from the rail out, is as follows: Sam’s Sister (Stevens, 123 pounds), Wedding Toast (Jose Lezcano, 118), Stopchargingmaria (Velazquez, 118), Lady Sabelia (Karamanos, 120), Clearly Confused (Julien Leparoux, 118) and Princess Violet (Junior Alvarado, 118).
Source: Keeneland Association