Micheline signs off with G3 Dowager Stakes third

G2 winner Micheline finished strongly to take third on her final racecourse appearance in the G3 Dowager Stakes over a mile and a half at Keeneland, USA, on Sunday, 24 October.

The Bernardini filly, runner-up in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at the same course last autumn, broke on terms under Florent Geroux and soon settled in sixth of the 10 runners.

Micheline briefly lost her position turning in but the Michael Stidham-trained four-year-old stayed on well down the centre of the course in the straight, getting up for third in the closing stages.

Godolphin USA President Jimmy Bell said: “Micheline struggled slightly on the ground, which wasn’t as firm as she likes. Florent Geroux was really going for her on the turn but she wasn’t going anywhere until he swung her out wide on the better ground. She still ran very creditably.

“She has been a lot of fun and a treat for everybody. We will let her settle in and then decide on breeding plans. It’s always fun to watch horses progress and she has been an all-star.”