Vigilantes Way has favorable conditions for victory in Violet

Vigilantes Way, with any luck, will win her first race of 2022 on Saturday at Monmouth in the $100,000 Violet Stakes.

A lack of luck has strongly contributed to the mare’s 0-for-3 record so far this year, but Vigilantes Way holds enough of an edge on her six rivals in the Violet, a 1 1/16-mile grass race for fillies and mares, that she can endure less-than-ideal circumstances and still emerge victorious.

While she’s based in New York with trainer Shug McGaughey, Vigilantes Way has made six of her last seven starts on the Monmouth grass course, and she’s prospered there. Last season she won the Eatontown and the Miss Liberty, but by the time the 2021 Violet rolled around, Vigilantes Way likely was slightly over the top. She might not have loved a yielding course that day and was beaten seven lengths by the Chad Brown-trained Tamahere.

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Two Brown horses bested Vigilantes Way on July 23 in the Matchmaker Stakes, where Vigilantes Way turned in the race’s fastest final furlong, 11.63. Vigilantes Way dove to the inside and just missed runner-up Fluffy Socks by a neck, with Lemista home by a half-length. Vigilantes Way caused some of her own problems, pulling too hard on reins held by Paco Lopez past the finish line for the first time and into the first turn.

Two races ago in the Eatontown, Vigilantes Way finished second, beaten one length by her stablemate Stolen Holiday, who, true to her name, absolutely stole the race on the front end, setting a glacial half-mile split of 50.61 en route to a front-running victory. On May 30, making her 5-year-old debut, Vigilantes Way got a trip that Lopez probably would prefer to forget, coming up just short of longshot winner Whimsical Muse while clearly best in the race.

Brown’s entrant in the Violet is Flighty Lady, who set the pace in the Matchmaker and finished fourth, beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Vigilantes Way. Her path to victory comes through controlling the pace, but three other horses, Star Seeking especially, will want to go forward in the early stages. A solid tempo will allow Vigilantes Way to settle better than she did in her last start, and she is likely to finally visit the winner’s circle Saturday, though possibly as an odds-on favorite.

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The Violet comes early on an 11-race card, going as race 5, post time set for 2:07 Eastern. If the local forecast holds, the grass course should be firm and play fast.