Village Voice takes Waya, caps good day for owner
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It was a pretty good five minutes Sunday for owner John Stewart as he watched two horses he bought at overseas auctions last year return from lengthy layoffs to win their first starts for him.
At Keeneland, the 3-year-old Irish-bred filly Kuwaitya won a $140,000 allowance race going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf. Moments after she crossed the finish line, Stewart watched on television as Village Voice powered down the center of Aqueduct’s inner turf course to win the Grade 3, $175,000 Waya Stakes by a neck over Beach Bomb.
“This is part of a group of eight or nine fillies I bought last year at Tattersalls and Arqana in breeding stock sales,” Stewart said by phone from Keeneland. “We were literally watching [the Waya] in the paddock. We went back to back.”
Kuwaitya, trained by Riley Mott, was making her first start since August 2024. Village Voice, trained by Chad Brown, was making her first start since last Oct. 18. Village Voice was sent by Stewart to Chad Brown along with Excellent Truth, who came to hand earlier than Village Voice and won the Grade 1 Diana at Saratoga in her third start.
Earlier this week, Stewart announced that Excellent Truth had to be retired due to an injury.
He and Brown were planning to run both Village Voice and Excellent Truth in the Waya with the hopes of going onto the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 1.
“We knew she was a special horse because we sent her and Excellent Truth to Chad and at first all he could do is talk about Village Voice,” Stewart said. “He thought she out-trained Excellent Truth. Coming off a [12]-month layoff to run that well in that race made us feel really good. We’re pretty excited. We’ll be pointing to the Breeders’ Cup.”
Dylan Davis rode Village Voice. He said he was mindful of the lengthy layoff and did his best to save all the ground he could early in the Waya. Davis had Village Voice along the inside about 10 lengths off the modest pace established by Big Beautiful.
Coming around the third turn, Davis moved his way to the outside, going around a tiring Noir to get into the clear. Village Voice came five wide in the stretch, then had to shift out again when a somewhat erratic Beach Bomb moved out after moving in, nearly brushing with Alluring Angel. While Javier Castellano did straighten out Beach Bomb, Village Voice was going better late and got up.
Beach Bomb finished second, three-quarters of a length in front of Alluring Angel. American Sonja was fourth, followed by last year’s Waya winner La Mehana, Sirona, Big Beautiful, Lady Firefoot, Alimara and Noir.
“I saved ground both turns and started moving up down the backside trying to get a little position there; get her in the clear and see what she has,” Davis said in a post-race interview televised on America’s Day at the Races. “I was able to get to the outside and straighten her up and she was all game. She was ready today.”
Village Voice, a Great Britain-bred by Zarak, covered the 1 3/8 miles over firm ground in 2:15.71 and returned $10.08 to win.
Stewart said Village Voice needed three months off between February and May but even though Excellent Truth was more accomplished, he was looking forward to running the two together in the Waya.
Village Voice gave Brown his eighth victory in the Waya and sixth in the last seven years.
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