Full-field Valley View goes through Dolce Zel
LEXINGTON, Ky. – It’ll never be known if Dolce Zel would have beaten her Chad Brown stablemates earlier in the Keeneland fall meet, but one thing is sure – keeping Dolce Zel out of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup gives Brown a solid chance to also win the Valley View.
Gina Romantica outkicked McKulick when Brown fillies once again finished one-two in the Grade 1 QE II, an Oct. 15 race for which Brown declined an invitation for Dolce Zel. His saving her instead for the Grade 3 Valley View, which will be run Friday on the Keeneland turf with an expected full field of 12 3-year-old fillies, qualifies as a well-calculated maneuver.
The $300,000 Valley View, which goes at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, marks the first start in nearly 10 weeks for Dolce Zel, a French-bred filly whose five races since coming under Brown’s care include a pair of narrow victories in Grade 3 turf races, the most recent being the Lake George at Saratoga in July.
Irad Ortiz Jr. will be aboard Dolce Zel from post 5 after riding here Wednesday, then Belmont at the Big A on Thursday.
Brown now has won the QE II a record five times, but the four-time champion trainer has never won the Valley View.
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In all, 14 are entered in the 32nd Valley View, which goes as the eighth of 10 Friday races on what is expected to be another beautiful afternoon. Sunroof and Diamond Wow are also-eligibles for a race that also includes California Angel, Sparkle Blue, and Turnerloose as the top challengers to Dolce Zel.
California Angel (post 1, Rafael Bejarano) was fourth in the QE II when beaten just two lengths as part of a three-way photo for second. Based in suburban Indianapolis with trainer George Leonard III, the California Chrome filly seems to have a fondness for the Keeneland turf, having notched easily her most notable triumph here last fall in the Grade 2 Jessamine.
Sparkle Blue (post 9, Joel Rosario) makes her third start of the year after outrunning her 31-1 odds as the runner-up in the Virginia Oaks at Colonial Downs in early September. The daughter of Hard Spun is trained by Graham Motion, whose three Valley View wins is the most among trainers.
Turnerloose (post 11, Florent Geroux), trained by Brad Cox, seeks to snap a five-race winless streak by reverting to one of her better efforts, including a couple of sharp tries last year at 2 and a victory in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra early this year.
Other considerations in a deep cast include My Philly Twirl (post 4, Tyler Gaffalione), who began the year with three straight turf wins at Gulfstream Park ending with the Sanibel Island, and Majestic Glory (post 6, Luis Saez), a British-bred sleeper making her second start in North America and for Todd Pletcher.
The Valley View purse includes $50,000 in bonuses restricted to registered Kentucky-breds, meaning Dolce Zel and Majestic Glory will be competing for the equivalent of $250,000.
Myrtlewood Stakes
There’s only one stakes winner in the field heading into the $200,000 Myrtlewood, and there might still be only one afterward. That scenario would hold true if Somebody’s Problem can take the measure of 10 other 2-year-old fillies in the third running of this six-furlong race.
Based at Churchill Downs with Greg Foley, Somebody’s Problem earned an 84 Beyer Speed Figure as a romping winner of the Prairie Meadows Debutante in late August in her most recent start. The dark bay Runhappy filly will have Gaffalione aboard when breaking from the far outside post.
Key of Life (post 6, Geroux), an odds-on choice in all three prior starts, might actually go favored again after earning a field-high 86 Beyer with an explosive allowance victory on opening day of this meet. Cox trains the Mo Town filly for Flurry Racing and Hoffman Family Racing.
Aside from the top pair, others worth a close look in this first leg of an excellent pick four sequence (races 7-10) include the two inside fillies, Lady Radler (post 1, Julien Leparoux) and Satin Doll (post 2, Rosario).
◗ First post Friday is 1 p.m. Eastern, with the Valley View (4:44) directly following the Myrtlewood (race 7, 4:12). Three allowances (races 5, 9, 10) help round out another terrific card.
Keeneland ends the 17-day fall meet Saturday with three stakes led by the Grade 2 Fayette for 3-year-olds and up. Churchill then will run the first four days of its fall meet (Oct. 30, Nov. 2, 3, 7) around the Nov. 4-5 Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland.
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