BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Third in the $120,000 Gasparilla Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs earlier this year, Martin Goodell’s Ridgie returns from a five-month break in Saturday’s $100,000 Shenandoah Stakes at Colonial Downs.
Nine 3-year-old fillies will race six furlongs on the outer turf with Ridgie going for an extra $4,000 Export Incentive for breeders Martin Goodell and Emily Goodell of Ocala, Florida.
Capped at $1 million, the Export Incentive program is paid by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association to Florida-bred winners of maiden special weight, allowance, allowance optional claiming and stakes run outside of the Sunshine State in 2026.
Ridgie finished her 2-year-old season with three straight victories, starting with a five-and-a-half-furlong, $25,000 maiden claiming at Presque Isle Downs in October. She then won a $25,000 starter optional claiming on December 6 and a first level, $75,000 optional claiming on December 20, both at Tampa Bay Downs.
She began this year on January 10 in the seven-furlong Gasparilla then finished fourth twice at Tampa in $25,000 starter optional claiming races, first at six-and-a-half furlongs on January 28 then going seven panels on February 20. This will be her first start since.
The chestnut daughter of Pleasant Acres Stallions’ Neolithic is out of Scowling Ridge, by Handsome Mike and is trained by Maria Bowersock.
Her career ledger reads three wins with a second and a third with earnings of $92,660.
Daniel Centeno will ride Ridgie for the first time from post eight and they are listed at 30-1 in the program.
Trainer Mark Casse trains Final Accord, who also looks for her first win in three starts this year. A winner of the six-furlong Matron (G3) on the turf during the Belmont at Big A meet at Aqueduct on October 2, Final Accord tried the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar on October 31, finishing ninth behind winner Balantina (Ire).
This year, the bay daughter of War of Will was fourth in the five-and-a-half-furlong Mamzelle presented by Kentucky Proud (G3) on turf at Churchill Downs on April 30, second to Bandiagara in the $150,000 Penn Oaks going a mile on the grass at Penn National on May 29 and last out was sixth in the $258,000 Tepin (Listed) gong a mile on a turf course rated good at Churchill on June 27.
Final Accord has two wins in six starts with one second and earnings of $185,056.
Casse will give a leg up on Final Accord, the 5-2 morning line favorite, to jockey Sonny Leon and they have post six.
Others entered for the Shenandoah are Tap Into Grace with Sheldon Russell named to ride, Paco Lopez will take the reins on Meilani, Carolyncaroline will have jockey Martin Chuan, Ismerio Villalobos will guide Hark Theangelssing, Spinelli will have Samuel Marin up, Angel Moreno will be aboard I’m Unstoppable and Yaudacity will team up with rider Jareth Loveberry.
Return to the August 5 issue of Wire to Wire
