Colonia wins Valley View after Daddy Is a Legend goes astray

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The old saying about there being countless ways to lose a horse race but just one way to win held true Friday in the Valley View Stakes at Keeneland when Colonia found the front in deep stretch of the 1 1/16-mile turf race – but only after Daddy Is a Legend struck the inner rail and wound up in the infield just when she appeared on her way to victory.

Fortunately, neither Daddy Is a Legend nor jockey Manny Franco were seriously injured when remaining together and upright, and no other horses or riders were involved. With Daddy Is a Legend eliminated from contention, Colonia powered past Cool Beans, who had temporarily regained the lead after losing it to Daddy Is a Legend, before Get Explicit came charging to miss catching Colonia by a half-length.

Colonia, ridden by Joe Bravo, paid $16.60 after finishing in 1:45.98 over a firm course. The French-bred filly is trained by Graham Motion for a five-way partnership.

“My filly was so focused at the finish line that (the ruckus) didn’t bother her a little bit,” Bravo said.

Before an ontrack crowd of 16,096, Cool Beans led 12 other 3-year-old fillies through splits of 24.35, 50.06, and 1:15.48. Just inside the furlong pole, Daddy Is a Legend came through a narrow opening to take the lead alongside the breakaway inner turf rail made of PVC pipe – only to bang into it and dislodge several lengthy pieces while Franco deftly kept his cool by guiding her into the grassy infield, away from the others.

“It’s a shame what happened in the stretch, but it looks like everyone is OK, so that’s the main thing,” Motion said.

Behind Get Explicit, Cool Beans finished just another head back in third, with Mighty Scarlett another neck back in fourth. Poetic Charm, a Godolphin homebred who was slightly favored at 5-2 over Daddy Is a Legend (3-1), faded to 11th after a difficult trip.

Colonia, by Champs Elysees, raced five times in her native country before winning her stateside debut with a sensational rush in the Hatoof Stakes at Arlington Park in early July. In two interim starts, she was fifth in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks and third in the Grade 2 Sands Point last month at Belmont Park.

“She’s got a tremendous turn of foot,” said Motion, who now has won three of the last four runnings of the Valley View, following Tiger Ride (2015) and Quidura (2016). “She really hasn’t done much wrong. She’s very consistent. I think she’s an improving filly.”

Chipolata and Mutabaahyia were early scratches, leaving a field of 13.

The $2 exacta (7-12) paid $961.20, the $1 trifecta (7-12-4) returned $3,960.90, and the 10-cent superfecta (7-12-5-4) was worth $2,995.63.