George Krikorian's War Like Goddess has dominated Keeneland's Bewitch Stakes (G3T) like no horse before her. A winner of the 1 1/2-mile turf event for older fillies and mares at ages 4, 5, and 6, the super mare is back at it again at age 7, chasing an unprecedented fourth win in the race, when she goes to the post for the April 26 Bewitch.
For three years, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott has selected the $300,000 Bewitch as the launching pad for War Like Goddess' annual campaign. As was the case in 2022 and 2023, the daughter of English Channel has been sidelined since an effort in the Breeders' Cup. After finishing third in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) in 2021 and third again against males in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T), she had to settle for a troubled seventh in last year's Turf.
Despite the nearly six-month layoff War Like Goddess will need to overcome in the Bewitch, the multiple grade 1 winner towers above Friday's field of nine in her 2024 debut. Her stiffest challenges could come from fellow turf distance specialist Vergara, a graded stakes winner trained by Graham Motion who is also unraced since November, as well as from European-bred distaffers Queens Command and Atomic Blonde. The latter will be ridden by Joel Rosario, since 2022 the regular rider of War Like Goddess until Junior Alvarado was given the mount for the mare's victory in the Oct. 7 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) at Aqueduct Racetrack two starts back.
Keeneland, Friday, April 26, 2024, Race 8Entries: Bewitch S. Presented by Keeneland Sales (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Chop Chop (KY) Axel Concepcion 118 Brad H. Cox 15/1 2 2Queens Command (IRE) Luis Saez 118 Brian A. Lynch 12/1 3 3Tower Bridge (KY) Gerardo Corrales 118 Cherie DeVaux 20/1 4 4Atomic Blonde (GER) Joel Rosario 118 Christophe Clement 10/1 5 5Lovely Princess (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 118 Kenneth G. McPeek 8/1 6 6War Like Goddess (KY) Junior Alvarado 123 William I. Mott 3/5 7 7Commandandcontrol (KY) Abel Lezcano 118 Jimmy Corrigan 30/1 8 8Vergara (KY) Flavien Prat 120 H. Graham Motion 4/1 9 9Tic Tic Tic Boom (KY) Tyler Conner 118 Tim Girten 30/1
