Valley View comes up strong with weather a possible factor
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Horsemen and the Keeneland racing office are among those you can credit for an exceptional renewal of the Valley View Stakes on Friday, but it’s Mother Nature who might ultimately have to take the deepest bow.
Rain was a near certainty to pound Lexington on Thursday, so it looks like the 50 percent chance of showers being predicted for Friday will be a critical factor as to whether the Grade 3, $150,000 Valley View can remain on the Keeneland turf as scheduled.
If prevailing conditions permit it to stay, what a treat it should be.
An oversubscribed lineup of 3-year-old fillies is entered in the 31st Valley View, a 1 1/16-mile race that would be the final graded turf stakes of a Keeneland fall meet that ends Saturday. Not only is there no clear-cut favorite in a field that will max out at 14 starters – from 16 entries, including two also-eligibles – but a legitimate case can be made for maybe eight to 10 of them.
“It came up really salty, didn’t it?” asked trainer Brad Cox, who sends out Adventuring off a 1 3/4-length score in the Dueling Grounds Oaks last month at Kentucky Downs.
Adventuring, with Florent Geroux riding from post 7, figures among a handful of lukewarm wagering choices, along with Tobys Heart, Lady Speightspeare, Gam’s Mission, and even a last-out maiden winner, Breaker of Chains.
Adventuring, a two-time stakes winner, will be looking to continue an incredible year for owner-breeder Godolphin, whose major winners in 2021 include Essential Quality, Mystic Guide, Althiqa, Maxfield, Albahr, Walton Street, and Wild Beauty.
Tobys Heart (post 4, Joel Rosario) has been highly effective in capturing three turf-sprint stakes, but she has yet to win in three tries around two turns. Trainer Brian Lynch said the Jack Milton filly is a possible scratch if the ground is too soft.
Lady Speightspeare (post 11, Emma-Jayne Wilson) was a late scratch from the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup two Saturdays ago after acting up at the gate. Unbeaten in three tries, most notably in the Grade 1 Natalma more than a year ago, she’ll be among the early goers in just her second start at 3.
Gam’s Mission (post 14, Adam Beschizza) was good enough to win the Grade 3 Regret at Churchill Downs in June and “needed a bit of a freshening from a spring-summer campaign,” said her trainer, Cherie DeVaux.
“She didn’t seem to appreciate the really firm course at Saratoga and has shown to like a bit of give in the ground,” DeVaux said.
Breaker of Chains (post 8, Tyler Gaffalione) doesn’t have the credentials of most of her opponents, but a Sept. 11 maiden win at Kentucky Downs was such an eye-popper that her connections sought an invitation to the QE II. The Bernardini filly earned an 89 Beyer Speed Figure in her maiden win, overcoming a terrible break to win going away in her North American debut.
Other considerations in a real scramble include Core Values, Oyster Box, Arm Candy, and Navratilova, all of them stepping in with degrees of merit.
As for the rain, the Valley View stands to benefit from it being moved back to the fourth Friday of the 17-day meet, as opposed to it formerly behind held on the third Friday. Racing officials tend to afford more leeway to keeping an important race on the turf as scheduled at this late juncture, given the course won’t be used again until next April, although it’s unlikely they would allow it to be run over a deep bog.
If the race has to be moved to the main track and loses steam, Crazy Beautiful (post 3, Brian Hernandez Jr.) surely would become a decisive favorite as a five-time stakes winner on dirt. Otherwise, the gray daughter of Liam’s Map is just another unknown on a giving turf.
First post Friday is 1 p.m. Eastern, with the Valley View going at 5:16 as the ninth of 10 races. It’s the last leg in the $3-minimum Keeneland Turf Pick 3 (races 4-7-9), which will be held regardless of whether any or all turf racing is transferred.
Eleven go in Myrtlewood
Directly preceding the Valley View is the $150,000 Myrtlewood, race 8, a main-track race matching 11 2-year-olds at seven furlongs.
Jester Calls Nojoy, a 10-length maiden winner on closing weekend at Saratoga, was eliminated from consideration for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies by trainer Todd Pletcher after finishing sixth in the Grade 1 Frizette earlier this month. She’ll be among the favorites in a competitive lineup that also includes Kant Believe It, Verylittlecents, Majestic d’Oro, Chi Town Lady, and Sweet Dani Girl as playable options.
Two allowances (races 6 and 7) and three maiden-specials (races 1, 3, 4) help fill out an excellent Friday undercard.