Michael Hui and Phil Forte’s Malibu Smart extended her win streak with a late-running victory in the 35^th running of the $350,000 Rood & Riddle Dowager (G3) for fillies and mares on the turf Sunday at Keeneland. 

The 6-year-old daughter of English Channel won her third consecutive race — all at 1½ miles on the grass — and gave jockey Ben Curtis back-to-back victories in the Rood & Riddle Dowager. Curtis, who won last year’s running aboard Venecia (FR), now has captured five Keeneland stakes in his career. 

Trained by Mike Maker and sent off at 14-1 in the field of 11, Malibu Smart won by 1 3/4 lengths over Grade 1 winner Fionn with Bewitch (G3) Presented by Keeneland Sales winner Speed Shopper third. 

Maker claimed Malibu Smart on behalf of Hui for $30,000 out of a distant third in an off-the-turf race Dec. 6 at Fair Grounds. She lost six straight races after the claim before a win going 1½ miles on the turf July 12 at Saratoga. Malibu Smart added another victory going that distance Aug. 29 at Kentucky Downs to set up her run in the Rood & Riddle Dowager. 

Malibu Smart came away quickest from the gate before backing off and conceding the lead to Modarosa and Pretty Tapit around the first turn and to the quarter-mile split in :25.70. Curtis kept Malibu Smart in third through the homestretch the first time and around the second turn through splits of :51.34 and 1:17.11. Somethinabouther came up alongside Malibu Smart onto the backstretch and past the mile in 1:42.38. 

Pretty Tapit dropped back first on the far turn as Somethinabouther put pressure on Modarosa and Malibu Smart and Speed Shopper started to move closer to the in tandem. Curtis kept Malibu Smart inside of the fading Somethinabouther, while John Velazquez opted to go outside of that rival on Speed Shopper turning for home. Malibu Smart accelerated past Modarosa near the three-sixteenths pole and led with a furlong to run. 

Malibu Smart opened up from there as Fionn and Irad Ortiz Jr. gained on Speed Shopper inside the final sixteenth. Fionn continued her run in deep stretch but Malibu Smart held her off to win in 2:33.27. Speed Shopper finished another 1 3/4 lengths back in third and a half-length ahead of 27-1 longshot Massarat in fourth. Somethinabouther, Golden Sunshine, Snipsnippitysnip, Sky Low Low, Modarosa, Pretty Tapit and Poppy the Princess completed the field. 

Malibu Smart won for the fourth time in 30 starts with eight seconds and five thirds, and picked up $200,725 to boost her earnings to $611,029. She returned $31.40, $11.88 and $7.46. Fionn paid $5.16 and $3.72, while Speed Shopper returned $3.52.

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On Wednesday, racing resumes at Keeneland for the final four days of the Fall Meet. The eight-race card begins at 1 p.m.