Dame Marie back on favorite course for allowance feature

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Eddie Kenneally was all set to run Dame Marie on opening day at Keeneland, but that was on the only day of the spring meet when races were forced off the turf by rain.

“We scratched,” Kenneally said over the weekend. “That’s okay. The mare hasn’t run for a while, but she’s ready.”

Dame Marie is one of the favorites in the feature race Tuesday at Churchill Downs, where Kentucky Derby week gets under way with the first of five straight racing days. Eight fillies and mares, plus one main track only runner, are entered in the ninth of 10 races, a $58,000, multi-conditioned allowance that is also open to $1000,000 claimers, scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Dame Marie, owned by Lally Stable, seems to do some of her best running over the Churchill course, having knocked out her second allowance condition here last spring and her third condition last fall. Julien Leparoux was aboard in both victories.

“She loves it here,” said Kenneally. “Julien will be back on her again Tuesday, and we’re glad to have him. We missed the race at Keeneland but she’s had three breezes since then, so we should be set.”

Dame Marie, pegged as the second choice on the morning line at 5-2, will break from post 2, just to the inside of Absolute Crackers (post 3, Joel Rosario), the 8-5 program choice.

Absolute Crackers competed in the same April 4 race from which Dame Marie was scratched after it was moved to Polytrack, finishing second behind Sisterly Love, who went on to win the Grade 3 Doubledogdare Stakes two weeks later. Trained by Graham Motion for Flaxman Holdings Ltd., Absolute Crackers stands to benefit substantially from that outing, as it was her first race in more than nine months.

Other threats include Awesome Flower (post 4, Javier Castellano), a stakes-seasoned mare who actually would stand to benefit most if this race has to be transferred to the main track, given her superior dirt record versus those of the other two favorites. The regional forecast for Monday and Tuesday called for a good possibility of rain.

The balance of the field is La Malaguena, Maid On a Mission, Drama Drama, Primed for Passion, and Nashindy. Honey Hues is entered as main-track only.

One other allowance (race 3) also is carded for Tuesday. It’s a $52,000, first-level sprint in which Heaven’s Touch, trained by Wesley Ward, and Tres Belle, trained by Bob Baffert, figure as favorites in a field of six fillies and mares.

First post here Tuesday through Thursday is 12:45 p.m. Eastern, while first post both Friday (Kentucky Oaks Day) and Saturday (Kentucky Derby Day) is 10:30 a.m.