Saturday Insights: Half-Brother To Bodemeister Debuts At Los Alamitos

7th-LRC, $45K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 6:28 p.m. ET.
MARCH OF TIME (Justify) debuts for the ownership group of Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith and Michael B. Tabor. The Bob Baffert trainee is out of GIII Sorrento S. winner Untouched Heart (Storm Cat), who is also responsible for the runner-up in the first two legs of the Triple Crown, Bodemeister (Empire Maker), and GII Summertime Oaks heroine Under the Stars (Pioneerof the Nile). A half-sister to the dam of GI La Troienne S. victress She's a Julie (Elusive Quality), Untouched Heart was purchased while in foal to Unbridled's Song for $5 million at the '12 Fasig-Tipton Fall Sale by M.V. Magnier. TJCIS PPS

8th-GP, $70K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1mT, 3:33 p.m. ET.
Homebred Sally Albright (Into Mischief) makes her first start for trainer Cherie DeVaux. The bay filly is a half-sister to GII Mrs. Revere S. champ Sparkling Review (Lemon Drop Kid), who is the dam of SP Fawning (Into Mischief), and is also a half to the dams of GSP Prince of Jericho (Munnings) and GIII Grey S. winner Bluebirds Over (English Channel). Her extended female family includes Grade I winners No Review (Nodouble) and Another Review (Buckaroo).

Another homebred setting sail for her inaugural voyage is St. Susan (Quality Road). The Christophe Clement trainee is out of Canadian MGSW Akronism (Not For Love), who produced GII Hill Prince S. hero Have At It (Kitten's Joy). She's also responsible for the dam of GI Santa Anita Oaks winner Bellafina (Quality Road) and MGSP Diamond King (Quality Road). TJCIS PPS

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What Was Your Favorite Moment Of 2023: Cherie Devaux

As 2023 draws to a close, the TDN is asking industry members to name their favorite moment of the year. Send yours to suefinley@thetdn.com

“There were so many, it is hard to narrow it down to just one. I would have to say the one that will stick with me is winning the GII Raven Run with Vahva. There is something magical about racing at Keeneland and to be able to make the walk to the infield with a filly that has meant a lot to me since we purchased her, was something special.”
–Cherie DeVaux, Trainer

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The Week In Review: With Another Graded Win, It’s Clear That DeVaux Has Arrived

Cherie DeVaux had just left a job as an assistant with Chad Brown, where the assembly line churned out one graded winner after another. After nearly eight years with Brown, she was ready to go out on her own and cobbled together a small stable that made its debut in the spring of 2018.

Her first starter was Take Charge Tina (Take Charge Indy), who finished a distant fifth in a Belmont allowance race on May 18, 2018. The year would get no better as she went winless in 18 starts. DeVaux went on to lose her next 10 starts before breaking her maiden on March 29, 2019 with Traveling (Tale of the Cat) in a maiden claimer at Gulfstream, 10 1/2 months after her first start.

“When I started out, some days it felt like I was rolling a really heavy rock up a hill.” DeVaux said.

But somehow that rock kept getting lighter and lighter until it disappeared. On Saturday, DeVaux won the GII Lexus Raven Run S. at Keeneland with Vahva (Gun Runner). It has been a year of firsts for the 41-year-old trainer, who is a rising star in the sport. The Raven Run was her first graded stakes win at Keeneland and the year 2023 has also seen her win her first Grade I race with She Feels Pretty (Karakontie {Jpn}), the winner of the GI Natalma S. at Woodbine. With more than two months to go in the year, her stable has earned $4,603,320, $2 million more than she earned in 2022, which had been her best year to date.

“This started off in July when More Than Looks (More Than Ready) won the Manila Stakes,” DeVaux said. “Since then it has been full steam ahead. I'm so excited, so happy and so grateful for all of it. When you work for Chad and you're winning Grade I's so often, you almost lose sight of how hard it is to win a stakes race.”

If she made a mistake leaving Brown when she did, it was that she took off before being able to attract many new clients.

“When I left working for Chad, I didn't have a whole book of business waiting for me,” she said. “I had to start from the ground up.”

But that she has become a successful trainer is not a surprise. She was ready to work hard and had the patience to get though her slow start, and learning under a future Hall of Famer like Chad Brown is no small thing. Plus, she now works closely with her husband, respected bloodstock advisor David Ingordo.

“There were a lot of growing pains,” she said. “Then we got some momentum going and COVID hit. I would have been happy if we didn't have any stakes winners so long as our stable was moving along. So this year has definitely exceeded my expectations.”

In time, owners started to take notice. One of her main clients has been Belladonna Racing Partnership, which heads the partnership that owns Vahva, and was instrumental in getting DeVaux's career rolling. At this year's Keeneland September sale, Belladonna, Ingordo and DeVaux teamed up to buy 18 yearlings for a total cost of $4,917,000.

“Yes, David and I work together,” DeVaux said. “He earns his keep by keeping me off the ledge most days.”

She also has horses for Lael Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds, Martin Schwartz and John Gunther.

“I think everyone can see how adept Cherie is at running a first-class stable,” said West Point's Terry Finley. “She can identify talent, and what has consistently impressed our team and our partners is what a great communicator she is. Cherie is the total package.”

As much momentum as she has and with all the recognition she is getting for recent victories, she's probably at the point where she could build the type of stable that could knock heads on a regular basis with a Chad Brown or a Todd Pletcher. But that's not in her plans.

“We have 85 right now” she said. “I don't want a whole lot more than that because that would dilute the quality of what we are doing. I wouldn't feel comfortable with that many horses with the values I have for my stable and the way I train. I try to be hands-on and work individually with each horse. All summer long I was traveling just to keep my own eyes on the horses so that I saw each one at least once a week. We want to have higher quality horses and not just horses in stalls.”

In less than two weeks, DeVaux will be shooting for what would be the biggest accomplishment thus far in her career, a win in the Breeders' Cup. She Feels Pretty will go in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filly Turf and Stage Raider (Pioneerof the Nile) will be entered in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. She will pre-enter More Than Looks in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile, but doesn't think he will get in.

She's had just one Breeders' Cup starter previously, Tarabi (First Samurai), who was third in the 2021 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Win or lose at this Breeders' Cup, she will take nothing for granted. Go back just four years ago to Breeders' Cup week 2019 and she had yet to win a stakes race and had had all of six career winners. Now, she's a major player.

“The beginning really humbled me to the point where I appreciate every win, every stakes,” she said. “That's because it did take me so long to get any momentum going. I'm really looking forward to the Breeders' Cup.”

Watch Out For Baffert-Frey Combo

When Bob Baffert ran three first-time starters in Saturday's ninth race at Santa Anita, gamblers likely had a hard time separating them. All three were typical Baffert… on paper, they looked loaded. There was Urban Legend (Into Mischief), a $1.3 million purchase at OBS April. Nysos (Nyquist) cost $550,000 at the same sale. Then there was British Isles (Justify), a half-brother to Grade I winner Eight Rings (Empire Maker) who was a Coolmore hombred.

Who did Baffert like the best? If you looked at his choice of jockeys, the answer was probably not Nysos. He had Ramon Vazquez on Urban Legend and Mike Smith on British Isles. His choice for Nysos was Kyle Frey, who was riding at a 6 percent clip at the meet and had won only 36 races on the year. So what happened? Nysos ran like a runaway train to win by 10 1/2 lengths and pay $14.80 en route to being named a 'TDN Rising Star'.

But those who were playing close attention might have been able to cash a bet. Baffert had used Frey exactly one other time and that pairing also resulted in a winner when Wynstock (Solomini) broke his maiden on Oct. 15 at santa Anita and paid $28.60.

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Gun Runner’s Vahva Best in Raven Run

Closing out her sixth year in the training ranks, Cherie DeVaux added yet another notch on her belt, collecting her first Keeneland stakes victory in Saturday's feature, the GII Lexus Raven Run S. Helping her achieve that goal, DeVaux was represented by GIII Charles Town Oaks winner Vahva (Gun Runner), who was accompanied by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, also aboard in her last-out score in West Virginia.

“I don't know if there are words to really describe that,” said a visibly moved DeVaux following the win. “Our team has really worked hard with all of our horses, especially this filly, and it's just so rewarding.”

Sent off at 5-2 behind 4-5 choice Alva Starr (Lord Nelson), Vahva broke alertly from post 4 and was tucked in along the inside as the favorite raced to the front, carving out an opening quarter in :22.61. Continuing to show the way through a :45.48 half as GIII Remington Park Oaks runner-up Ancient Peace (War Front) forced the issue in a three-wide second while Vahva continued to bide her time in third, Alva Starr rounded the home turn in control and appeared en route to victory. Set down for the stretch run under a strong hand ride by Velazquez, Vahva slowly reeled in the game pacesetter, poked her head in front late and inched away in the final strides to collect her second consecutive graded stakes victory. Dazzling Blue (Into Mischief) was a long way off in third.

DeVaux said, “Johnny and I have had great success this year in stakes races, and I told him, 'There's one thing we haven't done yet, and that's come into the infield [at Keeneland] for a trophy presentation,' so I'm elated that he got that done. It's beautiful [out here].”

A winner in her third career start at Churchill Downs last November, the $280,000 Keeneland September buy finished third behind Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) in her stakes bow in the Dec. 26 Untapable S. before finishing fourth to that classy filly again in the 1 1/16-mile GII Rachel Alexandra S. Feb. 18. Cutting back to 6 1/2 furlongs for a Keeneland optional claimer in April, she was beaten narrowly by next-out stakes winner Positano Sunset (Goldencents) and came right back to score at the same distance at Churchill May 5.

Prior to her Aug. 25 Charles Town Oaks score, she finished a respectable third behind the ill-fated Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic) in Belmont's GIII Victory Ride S. July 8. Velazquez was aboard for her two most recent races prior to the Raven Run.

“We took the same approach [as the Charles Town Oaks, also seven furlongs but around two turns],” explained Velazquez. “She came running and we tried to get a good position. Obviously, we knew the speed horse [runner-up Alva Starr] was going to be really tough to beat. Cherie has done a great job with the horse and gave me the opportunity to stay with her.”

He added, “Everything worked out good. I got close to the heels of the horse in front (Alva Starr), held my position and when I pulled her out, she responded. That's all you can ask of the horses. She was there for me, and she did it all.”

Pedigree Notes:
Stakes-winning Holiday Soiree, who also finished third in the GI Humana Distaff, was secured by Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds for $160,000 at Keeneland November in 2021. The 14-year-old mare will be re-offered at next month's Keeneland sale under the Warrendale banner. Since her purchase, she produced a filly by City of Light in 2022 followed by a Nyquist filly this term. She was bred back to City of Light.

Saturday, Keeneland
LEXUS RAVEN RUN S.-GII, $349,375, Keeneland, 10-21, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:23.28, ft.
1–VAHVA, 118, f, 3, by Gun Runner
                1st Dam: Holiday Soiree (SW & GISP, $405,642),
                                by Harlan's Holiday
                2nd Dam: Try to Remember, by Include
                3rd Dam: Casanova Striker, by Smart Strike
($280,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Belladonna Racing, LLC, Edward
Hudson, Jr., West Point Thoroughbreds, LBD Stable LLC, Nice
Guys Stables, Manganaro Bloodstock, Runnels Racing, Steve
Hornstock and Twin Brook Stables; B-Woodford
Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux; J-John R.
Velazquez. $211,575. Lifetime Record: 10-4-2-2, $873,810.
*1/2 to Signal From Noise (Arrogate), SP, $163,990.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Alva Starr, 120, f, 3, Lord Nelson–Sittin At the Bar, by Into
Mischief. O-P. Dale Ladner; B-Brett A. Brinkman & P. Dale
Ladner (KY); T-Brett A. Brinkman. $68,250.
3–Dazzling Blue, 118, f, 3, Into Mischief–Blue Violet, by Curlin.
($500,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Juddmonte; B-WinStar Farm, LLC
(KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $34,125.
Margins: HF, 12HF, HF. Odds: 2.53, 0.90, 7.77.
Also Ran: Apple Picker, Lily Poo, Lady Radler, Ancient Peace. Scratched: Nom de Plume, Simply Stated.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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