Rallying from last in the field of 11 under Rosemary Homeister Jr., Include Betty edged out
Oceanwave and fellow longshot
Achiever's Legacy to post the biggest win of her career, ensuring her a spot in the field for $1 million Kentucky Oaks May 1 at
Churchill Downs, as the race was worth 100 qualifying points.
Entering the far turn, Include Betty was full of run under Homeister, picking off horses one by one, but was forced to go eight wide, hooking up with Achiever's Legacy through the stretch before holding off the late run from Oceanwave.
Include Betty's owners, Brereton C. Jones and Timothy C. Thornton, had to wait out a claim of foul from Ramon Vazquez, rider of runner-up Oceanwave.
The two brushed each other in deep stretch before Include Betty prevailed by a neck with Achiever's Legacy another neck back in third.
The final time for 1 1/16 miles was 1:44.16 on fast track, with Include Betty returning $39.60, $14, and $8.80. Oceanwave paid $4.80 and $4, while Achiever's Legacy returned $7 to show.
Include Betty was bred in Kentucky by Jones and Lavin Bloodstock and was purchased at the 2013 Keeneland September yearling sale for $42,000. She is by
Include out of
Betty's Solutions, by
Eltish.
Winless in three starts last year, Include Betty broke her maiden at
Tampa Bay Downs Jan. 3 in her season debut for trainer Tom Proctor. She became a stakes winner in her next start, when she got up to take the Suncoast Stakes Jan. 31 by a neck before finishing fifth in the Florida Oaks (gr. IIIT) March 7, both at Tampa.
Seven prior Fantasy Stakes winners have gone on to capture the Kentucky Oaks with Blind Luck in 2010 the most recent to do it.
Include Betty has won three of seven career starts, pushing her earnings up to $303,030.