Alpine Princess All Heart in Doubledogdare Win

With a rail-skimming trip, Alpine Princess dug in gamely and hit the wire first to take the $400,000 Doubledogdare Stakes (G2) April 17 at Keeneland. The Brad Cox trainee broke cleanly under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and settled on the rail off the leader Running Away, who posted fractions of :23.47, :47.30, and 1:12.36. Alpine Princess continued to travel in hand down the backstretch and, on the far turn, she started to close in on the leader. As the field hit the top of the stretch, she slipped through tight quarters on the rail and came head to head with the new leader, Eunomia. They battled through the stretch, and Alpine Princess prevailed by a neck. The 5-year-old Classic Empire mare completed the 1 1/16 miles on the dirt in a final time of 1:44.09 and paid $6.10 for the win. "We had the one post, so I was looking to be forward. I was able to get good position going into the first turn," Ortiz said. "After that, I just took my time. I was inside from the beginning, so I didn't want to do anything different. I just stayed there and saved some ground, got lucky and got through before the quarter pole, and she got the job done." It was Ortiz's fourth winner of the day after taking the first three on the card. Alpine Princess earned her second graded stakes win, having previously won the Falls City Stakes (G3) last November at Churchill Downs. "I really liked the way she was traveling up the backside and into the turn," Cox said. "It looked like he (Ortiz) had plenty of horse. Going up the inside was probably the winning move. Took her a little while to get her first graded stakes, but now she has two. Very proud of her." Eunomia, who finished second for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., went off as the 9-5 post-time favorite. Peignoir finished third, 6 1/2 lengths behind Eunomia. Last year's Doubledogdare Stakes winner, Gin Gin, made a move in the stretch but weakened to finish an off-the-board seventh. She had not been seen since being eased in the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1). Gin Gin had earned her way into that race by scoring in the 2025 Spinster Stakes (G1), in which she upset Nitrogen, Scylla, and 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna. Alpine Princess is owned by Madaket Stables and Full of Run Racing II, which purchased her at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $190,000 out of the consignment of Betz Thoroughbreds. Betz bred her in Kentucky in partnership with DJ Stables, Peter Lamantia, and Classic Empire Syndicate. "Just an amazing race. Brad and Irad have been terrific," Dan Glick of Full of Run Racing said. "She is the gift that keeps on giving. She just keeps trying and just gets there. She's a treat. I mean, look how many times she's started, and she runs her heart out every time." The Doubledogdare Stakes marked Alpine Princess' 19th start. Winning seven of them and finishing second five times, she became racing's newest millionaire with Friday's victory.