Madly Truly Sharp in Golden Rod Move

John C. Oxley’s Madly Truly, winner of the Mazarine (GIII) over Woodbine’s Polytrack surface in her last start, was sharp on Friday at Churchill Downs in her final work for the $150,000-added Golden Rod (GII) on the “Stars of Tomorrow II” program on Saturday, Nov. 30.

The Mark Casse-trained daughter of Malibu Moon zipped five furlongs in :59.60 over a good track, a move that ranked as third-fastest of 23 at the distance.

“It was a fast work,” said Norman Casse, the son of Mark Casse and the assistant trainer who oversees his Churchill Downs stable. “I thought she did it fairly easily and it went very well.”

Madly Truly rallied from last to win the Mazarine and to finish a close fourth in her previous start in Woodbine’s Natalma Stakes (GII). But the Golden Rod will be the first race on dirt for Madly Truly since her June 20 debut at Churchill Downs, where was much closer in the early going before she finished fourth to eventual Pocahontas (GII) winner Untapable.

“We’ve always held her in high regard as one of our better fillies, so we know she likes the surface,” Casse said. “It may be that she’s better on the dirt than she is the ‘Poly.’”

Known probable starters for the Golden Rod (with trainers) include: Bird Maker (Ian Wilkes), Canaryinacoalmine (Steve Margolis), Madly Truly (Casse), Naïve Enough (Ignacio Correas IV), Playful Love (Wilkes), Stonetastic (Kelly Breen), Streethomealabama (McPeek) and Vexed (Al Stall Jr.). Possible: Daddy’s Memory (Cecil Borel), Room Service (Wayne Catalano) and Spangled Banner (Eoin Harty).