The $350,000 Rood and Riddle Dowager Stakes (G3) headlines Keeneland’s Sunday card on October 18. Twelve fillies and mares go 1 1/2 miles on the turf as Race 7 at 4:12pm ET. Grade 1 winner Fionn tops the field for Brad Cox, defending champion Venencia returns with a new trainer, and Speed Shopper comes back to the course and distance where she won the Bewitch in April.
Here is our full Dowager Stakes preview, with the field, the contenders, the trends and our picks.
Dowager Stakes 2026 Post Time and Race Details
The 35th running of the Dowager Stakes goes as Race 7 on a nine race Sunday card that starts at 1:00pm ET. The race is open to fillies and mares aged three and up, over 1 1/2 miles on the turf. Speed Shopper carries top weight of 124 pounds, and the other 11 carry 122. The Dowager is one of the last turf stakes at the Keeneland fall meet before the track hosts the Breeders’ Cup on October 30 and 31.
Dowager Stakes Contenders
| PP | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Weight | ML |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massarat | Brendan Walsh | Danny Sheehy | 122 | TBC |
| 2 | Malibu Smart | Mike Maker | Ben Curtis | 122 | TBC |
| 3 | Sky Low Low | Adrianne DeVaux | Katie Davis | 122 | TBC |
| 4 | Pretty Tapit | Joe Sharp | Jose Ortiz | 122 | TBC |
| 5 | Fionn | Brad Cox | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 122 | TBC |
| 6 | Snipsnippitysnip | Brendan Walsh | Brian Hernandez Jr. | 122 | TBC |
| 7 | Poppy the Princess | Troy Newton | Axel Concepcion | 122 | TBC |
| 8 | Golden Sunshine | Eoin Harty | Luis Saez | 122 | TBC |
| 9 | Speed Shopper | Will Walden | John Velazquez | 124 | TBC |
| 10 | Somethinabouther | Brendan Walsh | Tyler Gaffalione | 122 | TBC |
| 11 | Venencia (FR) | Saffie Joseph Jr. | Jaime Torres | 122 | TBC |
| 12 | Modarosa | Riley Mott | Junior Alvarado | 122 | TBC |
Fionn: The Grade 1 Winner
Fionn brings the best form in the race. Last year she won the Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1) at Saratoga by a nose from Nitrogen, the eventual champion, in course record time, and she won four other stakes during her three year old season. She has earned more than $2 million for owners George Messina and Michael Lee. Irad Ortiz Jr. rides from post 5.
Venencia: The Defending Champion
Venencia won this race last year by 2 3/4 lengths on yielding ground for Brendan Walsh and Ben Curtis. The French bred mare now runs for Saffie Joseph Jr., with Jaime Torres riding from post 11. She is the only horse in the field with a Dowager win to her name.
Speed Shopper: Course and Distance Winner
Speed Shopper won the Bewitch Stakes (G3) here on April 24 by 1 1/4 lengths, over this exact 1 1/2 mile turf trip. Will Walden trains her, and John Velazquez keeps the ride from post 9.
Golden Sunshine: Knocking on the Door
Golden Sunshine, a Godolphin homebred trained by Eoin Harty, finished second to Speed Shopper in the Bewitch and then second in the Ladies Marathon Invitational (G3) at Kentucky Downs on September 6. Luis Saez rides from post 8.
The Brendan Walsh Trio
Walsh has won the Dowager Stakes twice in the last four years, with Temple City Terror in 2022 and Venencia in 2025. He saddles three this time: Massarat (post 1, Danny Sheehy), Snipsnippitysnip (post 6, Brian Hernandez Jr.) and Somethinabouther (post 10, Tyler Gaffalione). Brad Cox won the race in 2024 with Chop Chop, so Fionn gives him a shot at a second Dowager in three years.
Dowager Stakes Trends
The Dowager has been run at 1 1/2 miles since 1994. Walsh and Cox have shared three of the last four runnings between them. Course form matters too: Speed Shopper and Golden Sunshine ran one and two over this trip at Keeneland in April, and Venencia won the race here last October.
Our Dowager Stakes Picks
Win: Speed Shopper. She has already won a graded stakes over this course and trip this year, and she beat Golden Sunshine doing it.
Exotics: Fionn and Venencia underneath, with Golden Sunshine as the price play in the trifecta. Golden Sunshine has run second in two graded turf stakes this year.
Sunday at Keeneland
Keeneland’s Sunday card runs nine races from 1:00pm ET, and the Dowager is the only stakes. The fall meet closes on October 24, and the Breeders’ Cup arrives the following week. For the rest of this weekend’s racing, including Saturday’s Raven Run and Perryville, read our weekend horse racing preview.
Bet the Dowager Stakes With MyWinners
The Dowager Stakes gives us a deep turf field with a Grade 1 winner, a defending champion and a course and distance winner, all at 4:12pm ET on Sunday. Visit Keeneland’s site for the full card, then get your bets in with MyWinners.
Bet online at app.mywinners.com, on the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app on iOS or Android, or go here to find your nearest MyWinners or Winners venue in CT.
