Sunset Glow, Osaila help wrap up regular meet in Valley View Stakes

LEXINGTON, Ky. – And speaking of the Breeders’ Cup …

Sunset Glow and Osaila, both with big Breeders’ Cup efforts on their past performances, are among an oversubscribed group of 3-year-old fillies set to go postward Saturday in the last of 16 stakes at the Keeneland fall meet, the Grade 3 Valley View Stakes.

Sunset Glow ran second and Osaila was third behind Lady Eli last fall in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf, and they have followed divergent paths in making it back into the same starting gate. They’re among 18 fillies (only 14 can start from 16 on the program) entered in the $150,000 Valley View, a 1 1/16-mile turf race that anchors a 10-race Saturday card.

Sunset Glow, with Rafael Hernandez riding from post 10, will be making her final career start before being sold Nov. 3 here at Keeneland by owner Ten Broeck Farm.

“We’d love to send her out a winner and maybe pick up a little momentum for the stable heading into the Breeders’ Cup,” said trainer Wesley Ward.

Osaila (post 7, Florent Geroux) will be making her first start since being turned over to Todd Pletcher following a summer overseas and a fifth-place finish in the Sands Point at Belmont Park last month for Richard Hannon. The Irish-bred filly will be treated with Lasix for the first time.

Among the other major contenders in a terrific wagering event are Include Betty (post 3, Drayden Van Dyke), the leading earner in the field with $711,030, and Gap Year (post 5, Joel Rosario), a highly regarded Godolphin homebred.

The Valley View helps to close out the regular 17-day fall meet. “Prelude to the Cup” on Thursday, Oct. 29, is the next day of live racing here, with the two Breeders’ Cup dates (Oct. 30-31) following.

In any other year, this coming Sunday normally would be the opening day of the Churchill Downs fall meet, but with the 2015 dates rearranged, it will be a rare dark Sunday on the circuit. Churchill opens the following Sunday, Nov. 1.