Valiant Tiberias tops King William Stakes

Multiple Grade 1 winner Valiant Tiberias will make his Sam Houston Race Park debut Friday night in the $50,000 King William Stakes. The race is one of four stakes on the card. It is for 3-year-olds and up at 350 yards and drew a field of eight, including recent Sam Houston stakes winner Pa Cha Ching.

Valiant Tiberias won the Grade 1 Sooner State in April at Remington Park, and his one-length victory made him one of the top choices in the track’s Grade 1 Remington Park Invitational Championship. Valiant Tiberias finished an uncharacteristic 10th.

“He didn’t break, and you can’t make a mistake against horses of that caliber,” trainer Juan Diaz Jr. told Sam Houston publicity. “He’s been training well, and we thought this was a good stakes for him to get his confidence back.”

Victor Urieta Jr. has the mount from post 5.