Madison Stakes 2025 Analysis

By Jarrod Horak

The Grade 1, $650,000 Madison Stakes is the 8th race at Keeneland on Tuesday, April 8. Eight fillies and mares were entered in this event at seven furlongs on the main track, and Scylla is the morning line favorite.

Madison Analysis

Emery is 5-for-8 overall with two runner-up finishes, and she is 2-for-2 at Keeneland and likes this distance (4 2-2-0). I like her early-pressing versatility and her new rider Luan Machado wins races with Brad Cox. 

Mystic Lake is 4-for-5 with a runner-up finish at seven panels. The early-pressing filly drew a good post and this race is lacking front end speed. 

My Mane Squeeze is a consistent 4-year-old filly with six top three finishes from as many starts at seven panels. Michael Maker’s New York-bred filly should be finishing under Luis Saez. 

Scylla finished out of the trifecta for the first time when finishing fourth by a length in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint in November. Bill Mott’s talented, consistent Tapit mare projects a stalking trip under her new rider Flavien Prat. She graduated at Keeneland and fired a bullet for this on March 22. 

Justique moved to the Cherie DeVaux barn, turned back, returned to dirt, and stalked and smartly scored as the favorite at six panels on Jan. 2. She went last-to-first in the Carousel as the favorite on Feb. 23 and should make her presence felt in the lane under Jose Ortiz. 

Madison Wagers

#2 to win

Exacta 2-8/2-4-8

Trifecta 2-6-7-8/2-6-7-8/4

Madison Video