Stunning Sky gets up in final strides to win Valley View Stakes

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Stunning Sky had knocked at the door of stakes success this year while keeping good company. She finally broke through in stunning style Friday at Keeneland, rallying powerfully for a victory in the Grade 3, $150,000 Valley View Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf.

Stunning Sky was claimed for $50,000 by Paradise Farms and trainer Mike Maker out of her maiden victory last December at Gulfstream. She won an optional-claiming race in her subsequent outing, and since then has competed exclusively in stakes company. In her three starts prior to Friday, she was second, beaten a head, in the Grade 2 Lake Placid at Saratoga; second, beaten a half-length, in the Saratoga Oaks; and fourth, beaten just more than two lengths, in the Dueling Grounds Oaks at Kentucky Downs. Harvey’s Lil Goil and Micheline, second and first, respectively, in that race, came back to run first and second in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup last week at Keeneland, flattering the form of that race.

Stunning Sky ($13.80) and jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., were eighth in the field of 10, about five lengths off leader Outburst, near the five-sixteenths pole. The filly rallied five wide to advance into fourth in upper stretch. Meanwhile upfront, Princess Grace forged her way through on the inside to take command from the tiring leaders, kicking clear by a length. Stunning Sky sustained her rally in determined fashion on the outside, collaring the leader in the final strides and surging clear to win by a half-length.

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“She broke pretty good,” Santana said. “The pace was pretty hot. The race set up perfectly for her. Turning for home, she switched leads to her right leg. She gave me everything she had.”

After Princess Grace, it was another half-length to How Ironic in third.

Stunning Sky finished the 1 1/16 miles on a drying turf course rated firm in 1:41.33. Maker said he is looking forward to the filly’s continued development at longer distances as an older runner.

“As big as she is, as she gets older, we’ll go marathon distances – no doubt about it,” Maker said.