Lady Radler, sent off as the longest shot in field of nine 3-year-old fillies, emerged with the lead with three-sixteenths of a mile to the finish and ran away to a 2 ¾-length victory over Metaphysical in Saturday night's 48th running of the $299,750 Dogwood Stakes (Grade 3) – the feature race before a crowd of 12,744 at Churchill Downs for the final “Downs After Dark” event of the year in Louisville, Ky.
Campaigned by Chicago-based trainer Michael Campbell for owner George Mellon's Mellon Patch Inc., Lady Radler covered seven furlongs in 1:22.71 under jockey Jesus Castanon.
The $178,800 first prize jumped Lady Radler's earnings to $371,200 from a record of 5-2-1 in 10 starts.
Sent off at 23-1, Lady Radler paid $48.40, $18.44 and $10.44. Metaphysical, the 5-2 second betting choice ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., returned $4.24 and $3.02. Yesternight, the 5-2 favorite with James Graham up, was 1 ¾ lengths back of the runner-up and paid $3.64 to show.
Twice as Sweet, Santa Fe Gold, Alexa Lou, B G Warrior, Norah G and Flamand completed the order of finish.
Breaking from post position No. 5, Lady Radler sat just off early leaders B G Warrior and Twice as Sweet, who rattled off early fractions of :22.26 and :45.48. Under a snug hold from Castanon down the backstretch and into the turn, Lady Radler was finally let run at the top of the stretch as she tipped outside of Twice as Sweet, took over in upper stretch and drew away from a chasing Metaphysical and a closing Yesternight.
“I've been on her before and she's a really nice horse,” Castanon said. “I've worked her and I always thought she would break through in graded stakes company. Tonight she did just that and I'm very proud of her.”
This was the second stakes victory for Lady Radler but first against graded stakes company. In May, she won the $50,000 Goldfinch at Prairie Meadows.
Lady Radler is a daughter of Kantharos out of the London News mare Sally Bowles and was bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC.
The Dogwood is named for the hardy, blooming tree that adds so much beauty to the spring landscape in Kentucky.
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