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Valiance Earns Spot In Distaff With First Graded Win In Spinster

Prior to Sunday's Grade 1 Spinster Stakes at Keeneland, the only two times Valiance had competed on dirt in seven career starts for trainer Todd Pletcher were when races were taken off the turf because of wet conditions. She was 1-for-2 in those contests, most recently winning the Eatontown Stakes at Monmouth Park over a sloppy track.

Campaigning for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Martin Schwartz and CHC Inc., Valiance had no trouble handling the dirt at Keeneland in the fall meet's biggest race for fillies and mares, the Spinster. In addition to its G1 status and $400,000 purse, the Spinster had the added benefit of being a Win and You're In Challenge Series race for the Breeders' Cup Distaff, to be run at the Lexington, Ky., track on Nov. 7 as part of the two-day world championships.

Coming from off the pace while kept in the clear by Luis Saez, Valiance battled past the 3-year-old Shedaresthedevil, winner of the G1 Kentucky Oaks, in a stretch duel, then held off a furious late charge from Ollie's Candy to win by three-quarters of a length.

Valiance, a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Tapit out of G1 Madison Stakes winner Last Full Measure, by Empire Maker, stopped the timer in 1:49.76 and paid $14.80 for the win. She was bred by China Horse Club International Ltd.

Unlucky Ollie's Candy, with four consecutive narrow defeats in G1 races for trainer John Sadler, finished second, with 6-5 favorite Shedaresthedevil third. Completing the order of finish were Lady Kate, Saracosa and Our Super Freak.

Shedaresthedevil outhustled Lady Kate for the lead under Florent Geroux and set fractions of :23.62, :46.97 and 1:10.85 for six furlongs. Lady Kate was lapped to her outside much of the way, with Ollie's Candy tucked behind the leader along the rail and Valiance three paths off the rail and in the clear.

With Lady Kate still in pursuit of the leader on the turn for home, Valiance ranged up three-wide and took on the Oaks winner. Joel Rosario, aboard Ollie's Candy, had to bide his time behind the top pair before swinging off the rail when Lady Kate began to fade.

Valiance gradually edged past Shedaresthedevil and opened a clear lead in the final furlong, but Ollie's Candy began to eat up ground though came up short in the end.

The win was the sixth for Valiance in eight starts. She was purchased for $650,000 by Eclipse and Schwartz from the Bluewater Sales consignment at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale.

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Baffert 1-2 As Improbable Defeats Maximum Security In Awesome Again

With his highly regarded stablemate pressured while a joint second between horses going to the far turn, Bob Baffert's rapidly improving Improbable kicked into high gear from dead last and swept to an emphatic 4 1/2-length score in Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., a key prep for the G1, $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland Nov 7.

Ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, Improbable got a mile and one eighth in 1:49.01 while notching his third consecutive G1 victory.

The Awesome Again, named for the 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic winner that was bred in Ontario, Canada, by Frank Stronach and owned by his Stronach Stables, is a Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier, with the winner earning a fees-paid berth into the Grade I, $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on Nov. 7.

Longshot Take the One O One, ridden by Jose Valdivia, Jr., set a solid pace while Maximum Security, regarded by many as the best horse in America, sat a joint second between Sleepy Eyes Todd and Midcourt, while Take the One O One opened up to a two-length lead a quarter mile out, only to see the winner sweep by four-deep turning for home.

“I knew I was coming in here with two really good horses,” said Baffert, who collected his fourth Awesome Again win. “Maximum Security was in that scrum and they were really running up close (together). I saw Drayden, he knew what was happening, so he just sat back. He rode a great race, he knew what was going on, he took his time, rode him with patience.

“He's had good luck with this horse. He loves this track. He seems to be better in the gate here, that's why we ran him here. I hate to see my horses have to beat the other horse but 'Max' ran gallantly. He fended off the speed, but the next one is the big one. But today, it was all about Improbable.”

Owned by WinStar Farm, LLC, China Horse Club International, Ltd. and SF Racing, LLC, Improbable, fifth as the favorite behind Maximum Security in the 2019 Kentucky Derby and most recently a winner of the G1 Whitney at Saratoga Aug. 1 and the G1 Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita June 6, was off at 9-5 and paid $5.60, $2.40 and $2.10.

“The gate guy did a fabulous job with him, holding him still, he got out clean,” said Van Dyke, who has now won six races with Improbable, including the Hollywood Gold Cup. “I was going to see what everyone else was gonna do, and they did what they did and I did what I did and it worked out good.”

With regard to his thoughts on the upcoming Breeders' Cup Classic, Van Dyke took an introspective approach. “I take it a day at a time and I'm grateful for this win. He showed a different tactic today, which he showed before when he was two. He used to come off the pace more than usual…He's been training super, so I was just waiting for the stretch to come.

“It's awesome, especially for Bob and the owners, everyone involved. I'm grateful for the chance. He's gotten better and better. He's a great horse.”

With today's win, Improbable, a 4-year-old colt by City Zip out of the A.P. Indy mare Rare Event, collected his fourth G1 win and improved his overall mark to 14-7-3-0. With the winner's share of $180,000, he increased his earnings to $1,709,520.

Maximum Security, who became the only horse in Kentucky Derby history to be disqualified from victory for a racing infraction, had a six-race winning streak snapped in what was his third start for Baffert. Pressured between horses throughout, he battled gamely for the place, finishing a half length in front of Midcourt.

Reunited with Luis Saez, who last rode him in the $20 million Saudi Cup three starts back on Feb. 29, Maximum Security was the 1-2 favorite in a field of five and paid $2.10 and $2.10.

“There was a lot of pressure along the way and he couldn't get comfortable, but that's how these races go,” said Saez. “You win sometimes and don't others. The good thing is he pulled up pretty good, so let's see how next time goes. He was fighting at the end of the race, but we lost.”

Off at 12-1 with Victor Espinoza, Midcourt paid $2.40 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.33, 46.36, 1:09.79 and 1:35.65.

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China Horse Club’s Breeding Operation Continues To Branch Out

A new chapter in the evolution of China Horse Club has been written with confirmation that the first yearling produced by one of its American-based Grade 1-winning racehorses is now taking its formative steps towards a racing career.

Yellow Agate, who became the China Horse Club's inaugural Grade 1 winner in the United States, is again blazing a trail for the internationally-minded operation, closing the final loop in a long-standing plan to buy and race elite fillies before breeding them to sell at major markets the world over.

“This is an exciting time for the Club. A long-term plan set in process several years ago is now coming full circle,” said Michael Wallace, chief operating officer for the China Horse Club. “In 2015 we started a plan to selectively purchase quality fillies from major sales around the world. The objective being to develop some of them into Grade 1 winners on the track and, in time, for these Grade 1 winning fillies and mares to become a cornerstone of our breeding operations in major markets.

“That has now happened,” he continued. “Earlier this year we had First Seal's first yearling offered publicly at auction in Australia and this spring we have the first yearling by one of our American stars, Yellow Agate, taking the first steps in his career for his new owners.”

In April, a Snitzel colt out of G1 Flight Stakes winner First Seal topped the 2020 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, Australia's premier yearling sale, when Coolmore Australia won out with a final bid of $1,800,000 Australian (US$1,315,751). The athletic colt has recently turned two and is in the care of champion trainer Chris Waller.

The Curlin x Yellow Agate colt is currently being broken in at Stonestreet Farm before joining the operation of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. Pletcher's record grows season upon season and its achievements with the China Horse Club and partners are representative of this. He trained former G1 Florida Derby winner and now WinStar Farm-based sire Audible, Kentucky Oaks contender Ivy Bell and currently oversees the careers of the stakes-winner Valiance and the above-average Fearless.

Yellow Agate was purchased from the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and franked that assessment by becoming a Grade 1 winner at just her second start in the 2016 Frizette Stakes. That explosive performance was a career highlight for the athletic bay who joined China Horse Club's U.S.-based breeding operation after an injury setback.

The 2008 Eclipse Horse of the Year, Curlin, was chosen as the first mate for Yellow Agate. In the ensuing years the champion racehorse has continued to build on his imposing record as a sire and there is every reason to be buoyant about this latest prospect by Yellow Agate.

“The Curlin x Yellow Agate yearling is a stunning colt, he really is,” Wallace said. “He has always been highlighted rated in our system and just continue to develop physically. He is a really powerful type who gets over ground well.

“Earlier this year Yellow Agate delivered a filly by Quality Road and she is just exceptional,”Wallace continued. “The mare is doing a wonderful job to China Horse Club. She is the racetrack graduate we hoped for and she is throwing her athletic frame into her progeny and giving them the chance to replicate what she was able to do on the track.”

Yellow Agate was covered again by star stallion Quality Road in March. In Australia, China Horse Club's talismanic First Seal was covered by champion first, second and third-season sire Zoustar earlier this month.

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Speightstown Colt Romps in the Saratoga Slop to Earn ‘TDN Rising Star’ Badge

Nashville (c, 3, Speightstown–Veronique, by Mizzen Mast) set sharp early fractions in the Saratoga slop on debut Wednesday afternoon and ran away and hid from his three overmatched rivals in the stretch en route to a ‘TDN Rising Star’ performance.

The $460,000 Keeneland September yearling graduate, campaigned in partnership by CHC INC. and WinStar Farm LLC, sported a pair of flashy bullets on his worktab for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, including a five-furlong spin in :58 4/5 (1/20) from the gate at the Spa Aug. 9.

The 1-5 favorite broke sharply, and sped through sparkling opening splits of :21.50 and :43.87. He hit the quarter pole in complete command beneath Irad Ortiz, Jr. and splashed his way home to an eye-catching and geared-down 11 1/2-length daylight victory. Democratic Values (Honor Code) was second.

Nashville becomes the fifth ‘Rising Star’ in 2020 for leading sire Speightstown. Asmussen also campaigns fellow ‘Rising Star’ Echo Town (Speightstown), winner of this summer’s GI H. Allen Jerkens S. presented by Runhappy.

Nashville’s unraced dam Veronique was purchased privately by Tony Holmes in foal to Mastery after the 2019 KEENOV Sale. She is also represented by the unraced 2-year-old colt Market Cap (Candy Ride {Arg}) and a Mastery colt of 2019 and filly of 2020. The 9-year-old was bred to Collected for 2021.

Nashville’s third dam Set Them Free (Stop the Music) produced 2005 GI Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo (Holy Bull) and MGISW Tiago (Pleasant Tap).

3rd-Saratoga, $66,960, Msw, 9-2, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 1:14.48, sy.
NASHVILLE, c, 3, by Speightstown
1st Dam: Veronique, by Mizzen Mast
2nd Dam: Styler, by Holy Bull
3rd Dam: Set Them Free, Stop the Music
Sales history: $460,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $39,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart, free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-CHC INC. & WinStar Farm LLC; B-Breffni Farm (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.

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