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Summer In Saratoga Shines In Dowager At Keeneland

After finishing seventh in the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Stakes over the Franklin, Ky., track's undulating course, Summer in Saratoga found much friendlier ground at Keeneland Race Course, taking the Grade 3 Dowager Stakes by a half-length.

Over a good turf course at the Lexington, Ky., track, the 5-year-old mare did not let a delayed start deter her in the 1 1/2-miles stakes. Under jockey Corey Lanerie, Summer in Saratoga broke cleanly and settled in toward the back of the field of 10. Eesha My Flower led the way, setting fractions of :23.80 for the first quarter, :48.93 for the half-mile, and 1:14.77 for six furlongs, an easy pace that allowed her to run on the lead around the far turn and into the stretch.

Lanerie angled Summer in Saratoga off the rail on the far turn and then angled her out again in early stretch, finding a clear running lane two paths off the rail as Eesha My Flower flattened out and gave way. Summer in Saratoga overtook her midstretch, getting out to a two-length length as Luck Money accelerated to her outside. Summer in Saratoga held on to win the G3 Dowager, with Luck Money and Micheline rounding out the top three.

The final time for the 1 1/2 miles was 2:30.02. Find this race's chart here.

Summer in Saratoga paid $12.80, $5.20, and $4.20. Luck Money paid $3.40 and $2.80. Micheline paid $5.20.

Bred in Kentucky by My Meadowview LLC, Summer in Saratoga is by Hard Spun out of the Arch mare Love Theway Youare, a Grade 1 stakes winner. Owned by Highlander Training Center, the 5-year-old mare is trained by Joe Sharp. Consigned by Denali Stud, she was purchased by Larry Hirsch for $165,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Summer Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale. With her win in the G3 Dowager, Summer in Saratoga has three wins in six starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of six wins in 16 starts and career earnings of $479,572.

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Micheline And Her Special Stall Return To Keeneland For Dowager

Godolphin's Micheline, runner-up in the 2020 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) Presented by Dixiana, is coming to Keeneland for another try over the turf course. The 4-year-old daughter of Bernardini out of 2007 Juddmonte Spinster (G1) winner Panty Raid is among the 10 fillies and mares entered for Sunday's $150,000 Rood & Riddle Dowager (G3).

Once again Micheline will have her special accommodations – a traveling stall of wood-lined farm gates with a fitted tarp for a ceiling – that is set up outside trainer Mike Stidham's barn. During her early training in Florida, Micheline was so claustrophobic that she was turned out in a paddock instead of residing in the barn. Before she relocated to Stidham's base at Fair Hill training center in Maryland, an outdoor stall was built.

“Whenever she leaves Fair Hill, her portable stall goes with her,” Stidham said. “She is happy and comfortable in that.”

The unique stabling is undeniably a success as Micheline has won five of 17 starts and earned $680,103. Except for her unplaced effort in Keeneland's Darley Alcibiades (G1) in 2019, Micheline has raced exclusively on turf.

In addition to being picky about her stabling, Micheline prefers a specific grass footing that is not too soft. In her most recent effort, she was a close sixth in the Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon (L) last month but encountered slight interference in the race that compromised her chances.

“It all has to do with the race track,” Stidham said. “As long as the grass is firm, she will run her 'A' race. She tried to do that at Kentucky Downs but everywhere she went through the stretch, she got stopped and had nowhere to go. And she only got beat a couple of lengths.”

Florent Geroux, who rode her in the Queen Elizabeth II Presented by Dixiana, is back on board from post position six in the Rood & Riddle Dowager.

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Blame Debbie Wins Stretch Duel With Always Shopping In Marathon Dowager At Keeneland

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Michael Cloonan and Tim Thornton's Blame Debbie held off Always Shopping through a stretch-long duel by a head to win the 29th running of the $125,000 Rood & Riddle Dowager (G3) for fillies and mares Sunday afternoon at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

Trained by Graham Motion and ridden by Manny Franco, Blame Debbie covered the 1 1/2 miles on a firm turf course in 2:34.74 and became the first 3-year-old to win the race.

Blame Debbie is cataloged to Keeneland's November Breeding Stock Sale, which begins Nov. 9. Consigned as a racing or broodmare prospect by Bluewater Sales, agent, she is Hip 1310.

Today's victory in the Rood & Riddle Dowager is the third in the race for Motion, who previously triumphed with Kitten's Point in 2015 and Humaita (GER) in 2004.

Blame Debbie went right to the front with Always Shopping tracking just off her flank to the outside through fractions of :26.66, :53.68, 1:20.68 and 1:46.98.

On the far turn, Tyler Gaffalione on Always Shopping turned up the pressure and drew alongside Blame Debbie. The two ran as a team the rest of the way with Blame Debbie never letting her older rival get in front.

“She was so nice and so game in the lead,” said Franco. “I think she felt that other horse (Always Shopping) coming by the five-sixteenths pole to the wire. She never let that one pass her. I was really pleased. I was riding to the wire, and she responded to me the whole way.”

Gaffalione, aboard the runner-up, said: “We went pretty easy early on in the race. There wasn't much speed so I figured it would be a sprint to the wire. My filly just couldn't get her nose in front but she put in a big effort today.”

The victory was worth $75,000 and increased Blame Debbie's earnings to $215,920 with a record of 10-3-1-3. It is the first stakes victory for the Kentucky-bred daughter of Blame out of the Invasor (ARG) mare Jadwa. She is a graduate of Keeneland's 2018 September Yearling Sale.

Sent off as the favorite, Blame Debbie paid $5, $3.20 and $2.60. Always Shopping returned $4 and $2.80 and finished 2¼ lengths in front of With Dignity, who paid $2.60 to show under Julien Leparoux.

It was another half-length back to Over Thinking, who was followed in order by Siberian Iris (IRE) and Naomi Broadway (BRZ).

The final four days of the 17-day Fall Meet kick off Wednesday afternoon with an eight-race program beginning at 1:05 ET.

Keeneland will offer a Super High 5 carryover of $24,224.49.

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Siberian Iris Stays In Kentucky For Sunday’s Dowager Stakes

Calumet Farm's Siberian Iris (IRE), second against the boys this summer in the San Juan Capistrano (G3) at Santa Anita, tops a field of six fillies and mares entered Thursday for Sunday's 29th running of the $125,000 Rood & Riddle Dowager (G3) at Keeneland.

The 1½-mile grass test, the final stakes race of the Fall Meet, is scheduled as the eighth race on Sunday's nine-program with a 4:57 p.m. ET post time. First post Sunday is 1:05 p.m.

Trained by Richard Mandella, Siberian Iris stayed at Keeneland following a fifth-place finish in the TVG Stakes at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 15. She worked a half-mile on Keeneland's all-weather training track in :50.80 Thursday morning.

Florent Geroux will have the mount and break from post position five.

The unknown commodity in the race is Brownwood Farm's Naomi Broadway (BRZ), who was supplemented into the race.

Trained by Paulo Lobo, Naomi Broadway made her U.S. debut Sept. 28 at Indiana Grand, where she finished third going a mile in her first start in more than 10 months. A Group 1 winner in Brazil with four other Group 1 or 2 placings, Naomi Broadway will be ridden by Joe Talamo and break from post six.

The field for the Rood & Riddle Dowager, with riders and weights from the inside, is: With Dignity (Julien Leparoux, 121 pounds), Blame Debbie (Manny Franco, 118), Over Thinking (Rafael Bejarano, 121), Always Shopping (Tyler Gaffalione, 121), Siberian Iris (IRE) (Geroux, 121) and Naomi Broadway (BRZ) (Talamo, 121).

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