U. S. S. Valor will not run in Breeders' Cup Juvenile

ELMONT, N.Y. - Owner Barry Irwin made official Sunday morning what he had been hinting at for several weeks - the exciting 2-year-old colt U. S. S. Valor will not race in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Oct. 31 at Keeneland.

U. S. S. Valor, who won Saturday’s Grade 1 Champagne by 6 1/2 lengths at Belmont Park, will not race again this year, Irwin added. Instead, he will point to a 3-year-old campaign with the hopes of making the Kentucky Derby next May.

“I think he’s done enough this year and I want to have [trainer] Shug [McGaughey] let him down a bit and build him back up because our main goal is to win the Kentucky Derby,” Irwin said Sunday morning.

Irwin, who races under the moniker Team Valor International, had previously noted that in the 42-year-history of the Breeders’ Cup only two Juvenile winners - Street Sense and Nyquist - have won the following year’s Kentucky Derby.

Prior to his Champagne victory, U. S. S. Valor had run in two maiden races. He finished third, with some trouble, three-quarters of a length behind Gaudreau on Aug. 8. U. S. S. Valor came back on Sept. 5 to win a maiden race by 13 1/4 lengths, earning a 105 Beyer Speed Figure.

In the Champagne, U. S. S. Valor was in between and in behind horses before jockey Manny Franco bulled his way out to make running room and then cruised past Gaudreau to win by 6 1/2 lengths. U. S. S. Valor, a son of War of Will, earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure.

“All I know, he’s run three times and he’s exceeded my expectations in each race,” Irwin said. “I think he is a physical monster with a huge stride with instant acceleration and I don’t see any problem in him adapting to two turns next year. Ideally, it would have been nice to have a two-turn race, but this horse is in New York and that option is unavailable.”

The Grade 2 Remsen Stakes, when run at Aqueduct, was run at 1 1/8 miles around two turns in early December. Now at Belmont, the Remsen is run around one turn at 1 1/8 miles, still in early December.

McGaughey, who won the Champagne for the first time since Adjudicating in 1989, said he was “pretty impressed” with how well U. S. S. Valor performed on Saturday.

“I was never really nervous about what was going on because he had a little controversy in his first race,” said McGaughey, referring to getting pushed down inside out of the gate by Coach Pope. “His second race, everything went perfect.

“The one thing that really does impress me is when you push the button on him how quick it’s over,” McGaughey added. “I didn’t realize until this morning he had won by as far as he did.”

McGaughey said he would prefer to keep U. S. S. Valor with him as opposed to sending him to a farm and turning him out. U. S. S. Valor will likely remain in light training in New York before McGaughey ships his stable to Florida for the winter.

McGaughey mentioned the Gulfstream Park series for 3-year-olds that includes the Holy Bull, Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby as races he would look at on the road to the Kentucky Derby. Gulfstream Park has yet to announce its winter stakes schedule.

McGaughey said he was content to leave the Breeders’ Cup decision to Irwin and did not weigh in on whether he would have liked to have run or not. McGaughey is happy to have a horse he hopes can take him back to the Kentucky Derby, a race he won in 2013 with Orb.

“It’s exciting for me,” McGaughey said. “How many more chances am I going to get? Sure, I’d like to do it again.”

Gaudreau, who beat U. S. S. Valor when both debuted on Aug. 8 at Saratoga, finished a well-beaten second in the Champagne. Trainer Chad Brown said immediately after the race that Gaudreau could still be considered for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and it wouldn’t hinge on whether U. S. S. Valor ran or not.

“Even in defeat he should have went on with the winner and he didn’t go with him today,” Brown said. “If I can figure out a reasonable explanation that’s fixable, or I see him working on that, I’d go, if I’m still not there, then I’m in no rush to go.”

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