Team Valor high on newly acquired Unrivaled

Unrivaled, a 15-length maiden winner at Parx Racing in his last start, was purchased by the Team Valor stable of Barry Irwin this week and is being pointed to an allowance race Sunday at the Bensalem, Pa., track.

Unrivaled, a 3-year-old, made his first three starts for WinStar Farm, which stands his sire, Super Saver. Unrivaled was dropped into a $30,000 maiden-claiming race at Keeneland in his final start for WinStar, and Waldorf Racing Stables and trainer Marya Montoya won a nine-way shake for him.

Unrivaled turned in a remarkable effort that day. He dwelt at the start of the 1 1/16-mile race to get away far behind the field. He glided up into contention nearing the far turn, then swung wide into the stretch. He missed winning by a nose after a horse slipped through up the rail late.

In his Parx maiden win, Unrivaled was taken in hand for the final sixteenth of the one-mile race.

“At Keeneland, he was far back, and he made a move to catch up, then made another move in the stretch. Not many horses can do that,” Irwin said. “At Parx, he made a big kick off the turn, then in the stretch, he had another gear left.”

Irwin will “think about one of the big 3-year-old races for him” if things go well Sunday.

“I love his sire, Super Saver, and he’s from a nice family,” Irwin said.

Like Unrivaled, Hopeful Stakes winner Competitive Edge and Saratoga Special winner I Spent It are out of Super Saver’s first crop.

Unrivaled’s second dam is Oath, a half-sister to 2007 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Champagne winner War Pass. Oath won the Grade 1 Spinaway in 1996.

Safely, the dam of Unrivaled, is a daughter of Unbridled. She failed to win in three starts, but four of her five foals to race are winners.

Irwin said he has told Montoya that he won’t make any decisions about Unrivaled’s future until after the race.

“I’m pretty impressed with Marya from the conversations we’ve had,” he said.

Montoya, 40, is the daughter of Dennis “Goose” Heimer, who won 767 races, including 57 stakes, at Philadelphia Park. Heimer won or shared six Philadelphia meet training titles between 1977 and 1987. He died of a heart attack at age 43 in 1989.

Montoya said she and her owners had two horses picked out to claim in the race at Keeneland, but that she ultimately selected Unrivaled.

“I flew to Kentucky that day,” she said. “I am very high on Super Saver and decided to go with the better-bred horse.”

Montoya has a stable of about 20 horses based at Fair Hill. She scored the biggest win of her career last October when Ever Rider won the $200,000 Temperence Hill Invitational going 1 5/8 miles at Belmont Park.

“He’s just rejoined the barn after being turned out in Ocala for the winter,” Montoya said. “There aren’t many marathons this time of year.”