Maddie's Gold Faces Four in Portland

It’s looking like Maddie’s Gold’s race to lose when five go the gate at Portland Meadows in the $25,000 Portland Meadows Derby on Sunday. The race is restricted to Oregon-bred three-year-olds, and they’ll be running a flat mile on the dirt. A son of Harbor the Gold, Maddie’s Gold has never been out of the money in six lifetime starts, and has three wins to his name. Starting her career at Winnipeg’s Assiniboia Downs, she broke her maiden first time out and then stepped up to stakes company, winning the Osiris Stakes and second in the Winnipeg Futurity.

Maddie's Gold has a liking for Portland

After shipping down to Portland, she promptly captured the Bill Wineberg Stakes by more than five lengths as the even-money favorite. In his first start of 2013, he was third in a three-horse photo in a six-furlong allowance event. Second choice in the Derby at 3-1 is the filly Jet Set Kitten. Lightly raced last year, she made her debut in September at Portland and won the Catalina Harbor Stakes by more than four lengths, and followed that up with a win in the Janet Wineberg Stakes, crushing the competition by almost 10. She most recently shipped down to Turf Paradise to run third in the Arizona Juvenile Fillies.

Others in the field could have a say

Looking for the upset bid at 4-1 in the morning line is Stoney River who was competitive in the Bill Wineberg, finishing second, and then coming right back to break his maiden by more than five lengths next time out. Last time out he was fourth in the same allowance start as Maddie’s Gold, where he was bumped hard in the straight and then showed some grit in chasing the leaders to the wire.  As the longest shot on the board at 15-1, Softstar showed improvement in his two starts last year, finishing third in the Bill Wineberg and then second in a MSW event behind Stoney River.