Goodnight Olive

Goodnight Olive won her second career start by 8 ½ lengths at Keeneland on Oct. 22, 2021 at the age of 3 following a runner-up finish in her career debut at Gulfstream Park in March 2021.

Goodnight Olive then reeled off three straight allowance or allowance-optional claiming wins between November of 2021 and August of 2022 at three different racetracks – Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga Race Course – by margins ranging from 3 ¾ lengths to nine lengths.

Coming off that dominant stretch, the dark bay or brown filly got her first major class test in the Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina Handicap at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 28, 2022. Goodnight Olive made her stakes debut a memorable one by powering to a 2 ¾-length victory. The Ballerina is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, so Goodnight Olive earned a “Win and You’re In” expenses-paid berth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint Nov. 5 at Keeneland via her victory.

Riding high on a five-race winning streak, Goodnight Olive entered the Grade 1 $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and was sent off as the 9-5 favorite in the field of 12 at Keeneland. Goodnight Olive raced in the back-half of the field and began to move through and between horses into contention on the turn until turning on the jets in the stretch and bursting clear to a 2 1/2-length victory over Echo Zulu back in second. Goodnight Olive completed the seven furlongs in a winning time of 1:21.61 under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

Goodnight Olive returned from a five-month layoff in the Grade 1 Madison Stakes April 8 at Keeneland, where she raced just off the early pace and seized command entering the stretch in a comfortable victory under Ortiz. She followed with a third-place finish behind Matareya and Wicked Halo in the Derby City Distaff Stakes presented by Kendall-Jackson Winery on the May 6 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve undercard. The loss halted a seven-race winning streak.

Shaking off her rare loss at Churchill Downs, Goodnight Olive rebounded in her next start which came in the Grade 2 $200,000 Bed O' Roses Stakes at Belmont Park on June 17. Sent off as the 1-5 favorite in a five-horse field in the Bed O' Roses, Goodnight Olive came from behind and outbattled the competition in the stretch to prevail by a neck in a winning seven-furlong time of 1:22.39.

Goodnight Olive is trained by Chad Brown. She was bred in Kentucky by the sire Ghostzapper out of the mare Salty Strike by Smart Strike.