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Stunning Sky Rallies Late To Capture Valley View Stakes

Paradise Farms Corp. and Parkland Thoroughbreds' Stunning Sky rallied from far off the pace to catch Princess Grace in deep stretch and pull away to a half-length victory in the 30th running of the $150,000 Pin Oak Valley View (G3) for 3-year-old fillies Friday afternoon at Keeneland.

Trained by Mike Maker and ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., Stunning Sky covered 1 1/16 miles on a firm turf course in 1:41.33. The clocking broke the stakes record of 1:41 2/5 established by Spinning Round in 1992.

“She broke pretty good,” Santana said. “The pace was pretty hot. The race set up perfectly for her. Turning for home, she switched leads to her right leg. She gave me everything she had.”

Outburst (GB) led the field of 10 through early fractions of :22.71, :46.23 and 1:10.50 with Walk In Marrakesh (IRE) just in back of her to the outside through the early running as Stunning Sky raced at the back of the pack with How Ironic.

In the stretch, Princess Grace swept past the leaders on the outside and opened a daylight advantage by the eighth pole. Stunning Sky, third from last at the head of the stretch, swung widest of all and was able to overtake Princess Grace in the final 20 yards.

“I was very pleased with the fractions,” Maker said. “The race didn't shape up the way I thought it would, but I left it in Ricardo (Santana Jr.)'s hands, and he rode a great race. She ran some game races, unlucky to lose, at Saratoga. Very deserving. Such a big, classy filly. I like to get a stakes win for (co-owner) Peter Proscia.”

A Keeneland sales graduate, Stunning Sky is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Declaration of War out of the Unbridled's Song mare Sky Walk. The victory was worth $90,000 and boosted her earnings to $304,825 with a record of 11-3-2-1. It is her first stakes victory.

Stunning Sky paid $13.80, $6.40 and $4.80. Princess Grace, ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan, returned $9.40 and $7.20 with How Ironic rallying from last and finishing another half-length back in third under Rafael Bejarano and paying $10.60 to show.

It was another 2½ lengths back to Witez, who was followed in order by favored Duopoly, Outburst, Sugar Fix, Antoinette, Walk In Marrakesh and Pranked.

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Antoinette Tops Loaded Field in Valley View

Godolphin homebred Antoinette (Hard Spun) headlines a large and talented field in Friday’s renewal of the GIII Pin Oak Valley View S. at Keeneland. Third in the GI CCA Oaks on the Saratoga main track, the Bill Mott pupil captured the Saratoga Oaks when getting back on grass next out Aug. 16. She led the way in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. Sept. 19, but was run down late by Magic Attitude (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and forced to settle for second.

The Chad Brown-trained Duopoly (Animal Kingdom) has not tested stakes waters before, but is proven at this distance. Earning her diploma by five lengths at Monmouth going 1 1/16 miles July 3, she wired an allowance going the same distance at Saratoga Aug. 21, earning an 86 Beyer Speed Figure.

Also making her black-type bow here is the undefeated Princess Grace (Karakontie {Jpn}). Romping in her Colonial Downs unveiling Aug. 2, the dark bay repeated in a one-mile test at Monmouth Park Sept. 5.

Several runners from the Sept. 4 GII Edgewood S.–won by GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf heroine Sharing (Speightstown)–return here, including fourth-place finisher In Good Spirits (Ghostzapper), who also finished third in the GIII Regret S. Other contenders exiting the Edgewood are third-place Lucky Betty (Munnings); fifth-place Pranked (Into Mischief); and sixth-place Walk in Marrakesh (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), who came up a nose short in the July 11 GII Appalachian S.

Another contender worth a look here is the Ian Wilkes-trained Witez (More Than Ready), who rallied from well back to be a close third in the GIII Lake George S. Aug. 28. Prior to that, the bay captured an allowance at Saratoga July 26.

The post Antoinette Tops Loaded Field in Valley View appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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‘We Are Looking At It’: Jim Dandy Winner Mystic Guide Possible For Preakness After Work

Godolphin homebred Mystic Guide, last out winner of the Jim Dandy (G2) on Sept. 5 at Saratoga, remains under consideration for the 145^th Preakness Stakes (G1) Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., after returning to the work tab with a half-mile breeze Saturday morning.

Working in company with Godolphin 2-year-old Tate, an eye-catching debut winner Aug. 26 at Delaware Park, Mystic Guide went four furlongs in 48.60 seconds over the main track at Fair Hill Training Center, ranking second of 35 horses.

“[Tate] broke his maiden by seven, so he was a good workmate this morning,” trainer Mike Stidham said. “Mystic Guide sat just off of him breaking from the half-mile pole and he came to him in the stretch and they finished together, which was the planned work. Then he had a real solid gallop out … in 1:01 and 1. It was just what we were looking for and we're very pleased with where we're at with him right now.”

The work was the first for Mystic Guide since coming from off the pace for a three-quarter-length victory in the 1 1/8-mile Jim Dandy. The sophomore son of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper has two wins, a second and two thirds from five career starts, all this year, including a third in the Peter Pan (G3) July 16, also at Saratoga.

“He came out of his last race in good order. He's galloped up until today,” Stidham said. “He's been training very well and this morning's half-mile work went just as we planned. We have the Preakness as a consideration. We're not 100 percent committed at this time, but we are looking at it. He'll have another work next weekend in preparation if we do run in the Preakness.”

The 1 3/16-mile Preakness would be the longest race to date for Mystic Guide, out of the A.P. Indy mare Music Note, who has steadily stretched out from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles to the 1 1/8 miles of his last two starts. The Jim Dandy marked the first time he raced in blinkers.

“He's bred to run a mile and a quarter and further than that,” Stidham said. “As he ran last time going a mile and an eighth when we added the blinkers he was plenty ready for the added distance, and further distance is going to even help more.”

Based the past four summers at Fair Hill, Stidham has never started a horse in the Preakness. This year's race is being run for the first time as the final jewel in a refashioned Triple Crown as well as a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

“He was a horse that was a little bit behind as a 2-year-old. He had some maturity issues with just some minor, niggling things that slowed him down,” Stidham said. “We didn't get him until he was close to being a 3-year-old so he made his first start at the Fair Grounds. He ran in a sprint race which we knew was more or less just an educational race.

“He ran well that day and when we ran him back two turns he was very impressive, drew off impressively in that race,” he added. “He was a little bit of a late developer, then when COVID hit and they changed the dates for all these races in the Triple Crown, it gave us a chance and gave us an opportunity to a part of it. We're happy to be in consideration for the Preakness.”

The Preakness is the centerpiece of a blockbuster weekend of 16 stakes, nine graded, worth $3.35 million in purses Oct. 1-3 at Pimlico that includes the 96th running of the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2), one of the country's most prestigious races for 3-year-old fillies, this year on the Preakness undercard.

Stidham said he is also considering 4-year-old filly Peaceful for the $100,000 The Very One for females 3 and up sprinting five furlongs on the turf Oct. 1, and undefeated Princess Grace for the $100,000 Hilltop for 3-year-old fillies going one mile on the grass.

“She won both of her starts on the grass, both going two turns, so we think she's ready for the step up into stakes company and we're hoping for a good effort there,” Stidham said. “[Peaceful] was second in her last start, the first time in a black-type race. She ran well. That was an off-the-turf race where we kept her in on the dirt, and this would be going back to the turf so we think she's going to be in a good spot there being back on the grass.”

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