Daring Dancer hopes for dry course in Valley View
LEXINGTON, Ky. – On Tuesday, Graham Motion sent out this tweet on behalf of the standout turf filly Daring Dancer: “I would really appreciate it if it would stop raining in Lexington.”
Clearly, he was appealing to no one who can do anything about it, but the veteran trainer’s frustration is understandable. Having watched Daring Dancer run in subpar fashion over ground he claims is not to the filly’s liking, Motion scratched Daring Dancer last weekend from the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup when the Keeneland turf course wound up soft.
A “will she or won’t she” situation that depends strictly on the weather will involve Daring Dancer once again Friday. She is the tepid morning-line favorite in an oversubscribed field of 3-year-old fillies in the Grade 3, $150,000 Valley View Stakes, scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf as the ninth of 10 Keeneland races.
Bred and owned by Sagamore Farm, Daring Dancer looked sensational in capturing the Grade 3 Appalachian here in April, and Motion has fancied her as a potential star ever since. He just is hoping to get the right conditions for her to show as much Friday.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 12 Daring Dancer. Trainer Graham Motion is 11-4-1-1 with a $5.14 ROI over the past two years with Joe Rocco up in turf routes in the second start following a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Other considerations in what shapes up as a wide-open renewal include Size, Rosalind, Stellaris, Goldy Espony, Token of Love, Miss Frost, and A Little Bit Sassy.
The Friday card also includes two allowances (races 6 and 8). First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern, with the feature going at 5:13.
This is the 24th running of the Valley View, which the race sponsor, Pin Oak Stable, won last year with Overheard, trained by Malcolm Pierce.
KEY CONTENDERS
Daring Dancer (Last 3 Beyers: 78-87-69)
* Obviously, the course condition is something to consider, so if she stays in, she’s live. Had the looks of a viable Queen Elizabeth II contender, which says plenty about how she could fare against this solid but overall lesser group.
Rosalind (Last 3 Beyers: 73-88-91)
* Dead-heated for the win here in the spring in the Grade 1 Ashland, a race that remains by far her high-water mark, with a couple of misadventures in the interim. Trainer Ken McPeek insists this is a filly of quality and versatility.
A Little Bit Sassy (Last 3 Beyers: 84-87-86)
* Front-running filly with two stakes wins and a near miss in the Grade 2 Lake George is scheduled to be ridden by Luis Saez, the older brother of fallen apprentice Juan Saez, although a jockey change would not be surprising under the circumstances.
Miss Frost (Last 3 Beyers: 92-84-82)
* Dogwood Stable filly won just one of her first seven starts but enters this on a three-race win streak and clearly is in peak form after dominating the ungraded Riskaverse at Saratoga in her most recent appearance under Edgar Prado, who will travel here from Florida to ride.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 11 Miss Frost. Trainer Tom Albertrani is 37-6-9-7 with a $3.71 ROI over the past two years in turf route graded stakes. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 9 Goldy Espony. Trainer Chad Brown is 20-7-2-2 with a $3.85 ROI over the past two years in turf route graded stakes following a layoff of between 61 and 180 days. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan