Gladys, a full sister to 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, debuts Sept. 18 at Gulfstream Park.
The 2-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro breaks from the outside post position in a field of 10 juvenile fillies assembled for a $65,000 six-furlong maiden special weight race carded as the day's sixth race. She is the 7-2 second favorite on the track morning line.
Gladys is owned by Dede McGehee, whose Heaven Trees Farm bred the filly. The 2-year-old is named in memory of her late maternal grandmother, Gladys Atkinson Houser, according to Gulfstream Park publicity.
Gladys is one of nine foals out of the Roar mare Lotta Kim, whose first was Rachel Alexandra, who became the 2009 Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old filly after winning five grade 1s in a row, including the Kentucky Oaks (G1) BlackBerry Preakness Stakes (G1), Mother Goose Stakes (G1), Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) and the Woodward Stakes (G1) against older males.
She was retired in September 2010 after winning two races and placing in three others races in five starts
Lotta Kim has produced two other black-type runners: Dolphus (by Lookin at Lucky), who ran second in the 2017 Pimlico Special Handicap (G3) and Wooderson (by Awesome Again), second in the 2019 Alydar Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Lotta Kim foaled a Bolt d'Oro colt this year.
Bred in Kentucky and raised at Heaven Trees Farm near Lexington, Gladys is trained by Kelsey Danner, who has given her 10 breezes at Palm Meadow Training Center in South Florida since June 29. The filly most recently breezed a half-mile in :48.75 Sept. 15.
Angel Arroyo will be aboard.
