Viareggio should enjoy One Dreamer distance and get the pace she needs

It’s not easy winning races at Kentucky Downs, where 354 horses have started during the first three days of this seven-day meeting. It’s not just the huge fields, but the fact many horses don’t care for the quirky nature of this course.

Brendan Walsh is doing just fine. He won an allowance race opening day, a maiden race on Sunday, the $1 million Music City Stakes with Secret Money on Saturday, and on Thursday has horses he trains in six races, including Viareggio in the featured One Dreamer Stakes.

“We like Kentucky Downs,” Walsh said Monday, reached by phone.

Viareggio has a better chance than many to like Kentucky Downs in her first trip around the oblong track. The 4-year-old filly made her first 11 starts in Europe racing at seven different courses in Ireland, England, and France. She essentially held her form everywhere she went, including Goodwood in England, a complex racecourse that makes Kentucky Downs look almost like a standard oval.

Viareggio is an Irish-bred and thus isn’t eligible for the portion of the One Dreamer purse available only to Kentucky-breds. She and another Irish horse, Present Moment, race for $250,000 while the other seven entrants are eligible for the One Dreamer’s full $500,000 pot. The race is carded at a mile and 70 yards and is open to horses who haven’t won a stakes race during 2023.

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Viareggio came to Walsh after winning the Group 3 Snow Fairy in her 2022 finale at The Curragh, and Walsh found a third-level allowance this past April at Keeneland to get the filly’s American career started. Making a long run from midpack in a slow-paced race, Viareggio got up by a neck.

Connections thought enough of the performance to try Viareggio next in the Grade 1 Gamely on May 29 at Santa Anita. At Keeneland, Viareggio’s rider got the filly to relax to some extent in the early and middle stages, but at Santa Anita, Viareggio was asked for a bit of pace out of the gate, which lit her up. She pulled too hard to show her best in the homestretch while still racing a competitive fourth behind three legitimate rivals.

From the nine-furlong Gamely it was out to 11 furlongs in the Robert Dick Memorial, run over a soft course July 2 at Delaware. Viareggio likely prefers firmer footing and almost certainly will prefer the middle-distance she gets Thursday to the Dick’s 1 3/8 miles.

“She’s been a little confusing to be honest,” Walsh said. “She’s probably one of them that just needs a mile with some pace in front of her, which I think there will be. She’s trained really well for this race.”

Tyler Gaffalione rode Viareggio at Keeneland but winds up on Haughty in the One Dreamer. Walsh found a decent rider nonetheless, four-time Eclipse Award-winner Irad Ortiz Jr.

The pace Walsh references comes from Sister Lou Ann, who might be in a little bit tough, but whose trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr., went 2-1-2 from eight starts opening week at Kentucky Downs; and from For the Flag, the 3-1 morning-line favorite who is unlikely to be favored. Trained by Jimmy Toner, For the Flag has been a dedicated front-runner, a bulldog who goes with her head held low and who was a game front-running second making her stakes debut last month at Ellis Park.

At Ellis, For the Flag just held off Sinfiltre, trained by Todd Pletcher, but while For the Flag led near the rail, Sinfiltre had a three-wide trip without cover around both turns. She, like Viareggio, could get a good trip, and Flavien Prat, who rode the filly to victory July 1, regains the mount.

Haughty hasn’t gotten a good trip in any of her three 2023 starts, all losses, and she has some upside on the day. Her trainer, Chad Brown, has started the meet 0 for 6, and since Regal Glory won the Ladies Turf in 2020 has gone 7-0-1-0 in Kentucky Downs stakes.

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Present Moment has only two wins from 14 starts and looks overmatched on paper, but since Whit Beckman trains her, bettor beware. Beckman ran three horses opening week: Sham’s Pride was a close fourth in a maiden race at 70-1, Sabalenka was second in the Dueling Grounds Oaks at 20-1, and Harlan Estate won the Tapit Stakes at 37-1.

◗ Viareggio probably isn’t the best filly Walsh runs Thursday. Three-year-old filly Lindy makes her American debut in race 3, a third-level allowance, where she most assuredly will be a far lower price than her 10-1 morning line.

Lindy, a French import, twice was a good second earlier this year to top European 3-year-old filly Blue Rose Cen, including in the Group 1 French 1000 Guineas. Sauterne, third in the Guineas, won the Group 1 Prix du Moulin this past Sunday.

“She’s nice,” Walsh said. “The last three or four weeks, she’s really picked it up.”

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