Good Deed Goes Gate to Wire in Friday Feature

Jun 07, 2013 Travers Manley

Good Deed, 4 ¼-length winner of the Unbridled Sidney on May 11, broke on top in the field of six fillies and mares, turned for home with a two-length lead and then drew off in the stretch of the Matt Winn Turf Course to win the $59,038 Friday afternoon feature at Churchill Downs by five lengths over Sweet Cassiopeia.

Trained by Steve Margolis and ridden by the Spring Meet’s leading rider Shaun Bridgmohan, Good Deed completed the five furlongs on the firm course in :55.73 – the fastest time at the distance this season. The track record of :55.45 was set by Silver Timber when he won the Churchill Downs Turf Sprint (Grade III) on April 30, 2010. 

Bert, Elaine and Richard Klein’s homebred Good Deed improved her career record to 7-1-0 from 12 career starts and her lifetime earnings jumped to $281,803 with Friday’s check of $36,000.

Favored at 4-5, Good Deed returned $3.60, $2.20 and $2.10. Sweet Cassiopeia, under Corey Lanerie, finished second and returned $2.60 and $2.20 with A Time to Love, under Jesus Castanon, another 2 ¾-lengths back in third and returning $3.20 to show.

A 4-year-old bay filly by Broken Vow, Good Deed is out of the Mt. Livermore mare Hidden Assets, winner of the 2001 Shirley Jones Handicap (GIII), and is a half-sister to multiple stakes winners Country Day and Due Date. 

Racing continues Saturday with an 11-race program highlighted by the 37th running of the $100,000-added Early Times Mint Julep Handicap (GIII) for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on turf. Post time for the first race is 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern) and the Early Times Mint Julep Handicap will go as Race 9 at 4:59 p.m.

Churchill Downs will host an NBC Belmont Stakes viewing party in The Plaza starting at 5 p.m. Also, the race will be prominently shown on television monitors throughout the facility, including the infield and paddock JumboTrons. The Belmont Stakes will go as Race 11 at approximately 6:36 p.m. and the simulcast will follow the last race at Churchill Downs.

Admission gates will open at 11:30 a.m. and the simulcast of Belmont Park’s 13-race card will begin at 11:35 a.m. 

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