Clicquot Returns in Grade 1 Madison, Seeks Spring Victory at Keeneland

Clicquot has been freshened since a fourth-place finish in last fall's Breeders' Cup Distaff, and trainer Brendan Walsh has pointed his Grade 1 winner straight at the $650,000 Resolute Racing Madison on Saturday, April 4. The seven-furlong test at Keeneland, Race 9 on the card with a 5:16 p.m. ET post time, drew eight older fillies and mares, and Clicquot will break from post 3 with Flavien Prat back in the irons.

Walsh's choice to spot Clicquot in the Madison reflects both the race's configuration and a measured seasonal plan. Seven furlongs suits her tactical speed, and a spring sharpener at Keeneland gives the filly a clean foundation before deeper summer targets. Prat, who was aboard for her Cotillion score at Parx last year, has the call again, maintaining a partnership that has already reached the sport's highest level.

The field assembled around her is legitimate. Bill Mott will send out two in Ragtime and Grand Job, while Brad Cox enters Eclatant with Irad Ortiz Jr. named. Sterling Silver and Praying complete a compact eight-horse lineup that reads like a cross-section of the graded-stakes older-mare division. With Mott and Cox both represented, the Madison carries the weight of an early-season test among trainers who routinely compete in these conversations through summer.

Clicquot's credentials as the one to beat are built on more than just a single stakes win. Her Cotillion victory at Parx established her as a speed-and-class player at Grade 1 level, and her effort in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, though fourth, came against the deepest older-mare field assembled all year. A half-mile maintenance drill in the lead-up to Saturday satisfied connections that she is returning in sound form from the freshening.

The seven-furlong layout at Keeneland typically rewards horses with sustained cruising speed, and Clicquot figures to press or settle into a stalking position off the break from post 3, depending on how quickly pace develops. Multiple front-end types in the field should ensure honest early fractions, which historically suit fillies who can accelerate off a genuine tempo rather than a slow crawl. If Saturday serves as the tune-up Walsh intends, the Madison will register as the first checkpoint of what could become a significant spring campaign.