Joseph Allen's Apple Betty will aim to make good on her regal pedigree when she heads a field of 10 fillies and mares entered for the $125,000 Rood and Riddle Dowager Stakes (G3T) Oct. 22 at Keeneland.
Now trained by Shug McGaughey, Apple Betty made her U.S. debut in last year's Dowager—when still with trainer Jean-Claude Rouget—and was beaten a nose at the wire by Elektrum. The daughter of Galileo has put in some admirable runs since that race, including a third-place effort in the May 6 Sheepshead Bay Stakes (G2T) where she finished ahead of eventual grade 1 winner Zipessa, and earned her first stakes score when she took the River Memories Stakes going 1 1/2 miles at Belmont Park July 9.
Fourth in the Aug. 5 Fasig-Tipton Waya Stakes (G3T) in her most recent start, Apple Betty is bred to thrive over the Dowager's 12-furlong distance. The 4-year-old bay filly is a full sister to 2013 Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) winner Magician and is out of the Mozart (IRE) mare Absolutelyfabulous.
Graham Motion trainee Lottie was second in the Waya Stakes and comes into the Dowager off a fifth-place finish in the Glens Falls Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course. The daughter of Arch has prior experience over the Keeneland course, running third there in her debut in October of 2015 and finishing second in an allowance race in April of 2016.
Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Daring Duchess finished fifth in last year's edition of the Dowager, her first try against graded stakes company. The 5-year-old Arch mare prevailed in the Keertana Overnight Stakes going 1 1/2 miles on the turf at Churchill Downs May 27 and was most recently fourth in the Ramsey Farm Stakes at Kentucky Downs Sept. 14.
Keeneland, Sunday, October 22, 2017, Race 8Entries: Rood and Riddle Dowager S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Bootsy's Girl (KY) Channing Hill 121 Luis A. Jurado 30/1 2 2Lottie (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 121 H. Graham Motion 3/1 3 3Place des Vosges (KY) Florent Geroux 121 Richard Baltas 15/1 4 4Coco Channel (KY) Julie Burke 118 Charles Lopresti 20/1 5 5Daring Duchess (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 121 Michael J. Maker 5/1 6 6Promotional (FL) Corey J. Lanerie 121 Thomas F. Proctor 12/1 7 7Apple Betty (IRE) John R. Velazquez 121 Claude R. McGaughey III 3/1 8 8Polar Vortex (IN) Ty Kennedy 118 Tim Glyshaw 30/1 9 9Daddy's Boo (FL) Jose Valdivia, Jr. 121 Larry Rivelli 10/1 10 10Grateful (KY) Manuel Franco 118 Todd A. Pletcher 5/2
