Sunday's Best Bet: Lemoona should like the Dowager distance

Sunday’s 8th race from Keeneland is the Grade 3 Dowager Stakes for fillies and mares traveling a mile and a half on the turf course (Post Time 4:57 p.m. ET). 

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#2 LEMOONA (5-1) is a decent late runner on turf, and she might like this marathon distance. She was making up ground late at Kentucky Downs last time (1-5/16 miles), and I picked her on top that day. She won the Possibly Perfect at a mile and a quarter on turf at Santa Anita earlier this year, and Joe Bravo and Richard Baltas teamed up to win Friday’s graded turf route feature at Keeneland with Lady Prancealot.

#3 Gentle Ruler (3-1) has won five of her last six turf routes, and two of those wins were at this distance. She is an obvious threat.

#9 Pantsonfire (6-1) has turned into a decent long-distance turf runner for Richard Baltas. This is her first start at a mile and a half since she romped in the Grade 3 Astra on Jan. 20.

#10 Elysea’s World (4-1) gives the Baltas barn another logical contender. The multiple graded stakes winner captured the Grade 3 Santa Ana at 10 furlongs earlier this year. She has never run this far.

#12 Get Explicit (12-1) hit the board in all three local starts, and she landed the place in both tries at this distance. I like her chances underneath.

Wagers:

#2 to win

Exacta 2/3-9-10

Exacta 3-9-10/2

Trifecta 2-3-9-10/2-3-9-10/12