(Venencia wins the G3 Dowager Stakes at Keeneland on a soggy Sunday / All Photos by Coady Media)

From the Keeneland Media Team / Amy Owens:

Quotes from the $350,000 Rood & Riddle Dowager (G3)

Click here for a replay of the race and the post-race interview with winning connections.

Ben Curtis (winning rider of Venencia-FR)

On whether the move to get into the race coming down the stretch the first time was key to the victory

“Yeah, I think so. (Trainer) Brendan (Walsh) alluded before the race in an interview that she had plenty of stamina, and that wasn’t going to be an issue today. I found myself in a nice spot but we were going very steady. I was keen to make it more of a test. As I said, we had stamina, so the best thing was to test everyone else’s. I pushed forward, and once I got around the first turn, she relaxed on me again. I could ride my race from there and kick on nice and early. To be fair, (jockey) Johnny (Velazquez aboard Bless My Stars-SAF) came and headed me. His horse picked up well, but mine ground it out and came back in the last eighth and did it well.”

Brendan Walsh (winning trainer)

“Since she came to us, she’s been working along nice. We didn’t do anything fancy at all, just kept it simple, and it was a question of whether she’d stay or not and, of course, like the ground. It was all positive with her. She got the job done. It’s great.”

Pete Bradley (of winning co-owner Bradley Thoroughbreds)

On what the Grade 3 win means for the ownership team

“It really moves up her value coming into the (Keeneland) November (Breeding Stock) Sale. She is going to be a star on the day. She’s a beautiful filly. She’s got race left. It’s what you try to make happen.”

John Velazquez (rider of runner-up Bless My Stars-SAF)

“I had a great trip. In the first part she wanted to be a little keen even though they were going slow. We’ve had a lot of rain. There wasn’t much pace in the race anyway. The only horse who had all the pace was on the lead. Once the other horse went, it was perfect for me. I stuck her with those two horses. I thought I had it at the quarter pole, and she ran to the eighth pole and just got tired.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. (rider of third-place finisher Vive Veuve)

“Beautiful trip. I expected a slow pace. I didn’t worry about it. Just tried to ride my filly with confidence, concentrate on her, and she ran good.”

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Wednesday begins the final four days of Keeneland’s 17-day Fall Meet. The first race is at 1 p.m.

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Since its first race meet 89 years ago, the Keeneland Association has devoted itself to the health and vibrancy of the Thoroughbred industry. The world’s largest Thoroughbred auction house, Keeneland conducts five on-site sales a year, in January, April, September and November. Graduates of Keeneland sales dominate racing across the globe at every level. In April and October, Keeneland offers some of the highest caliber and richest Thoroughbred racing in the world. Keeneland will host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in 2026 for the fourth time, following 2015, 2020 and 2022. Uniquely structured, Keeneland is a privately held company with a not-for-profit mission that returns its earnings to the industry and the community in the form of higher purses and millions of dollars donated in support of horse industry initiatives and charitable contributions for education, research, and health and human services throughout Central Kentucky. Keeneland also maintains Keeneland Library, a world-renowned public research institution with the mission of preserving information about the Thoroughbred industry. To learn more, visit Keeneland.com.

For more information email Keeneland Communications Associate Amy Owens at aowens@keeneland.com