Malathaat faces Bonny South in Friday's Doubledogdare

Malathaat, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2021, will make her 2022 debut Friday when she headlines a field of six fillies and mares for the 27th running of the Grade 3, $300,000 Doubledogdare (G3) going 1 1/16 miles on Keeneland's main track.

The Doubledogdare will go as the ninth race on Friday’s 10-race program with a 5:16 p.m. EDT post time. First post is 1 p.m.

Trained by four-time race winner Todd Pletcher and owned by Shadwell Stable, Malathaat compiled a 5: 3-1-1 record last year highlighted by Grade 1 victories in the Ashland, Kentucky Oaks and Alabama.

John Velazquez, who has won this race five times including all four of Pletcher’s victories, has the mount Friday and will break from post 1.

Also making her 2022 debut is defending champion Bonny South.

Owned by Juddmonte and trained by Brad Cox, Bonny South is seeking to become the first horse to win the Doubledogdare in consecutive years. Four times graded stakes-placed in 2021, Bonny South will break from post 4 and be ridden by Florent Geroux.