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Pricey Valiance Handles Switch From Turf To Slop, Wins Eatontown At Monmouth

Valiance added another dimension to an impressive start to her career, drawing away in mid-stretch over a sloppy track to win Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Eatontown Stakes at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, the $650,000 yearling purchase entered the Eatontown with four wins from six career starts, with five of those races on the grass. She raced once on the dirt but never over a sloppy track.

“I thought she ran great,” said Pletcher. “It definitely seemed like she improved in her training on the dirt so we weren't concerned when it came off. It looks like she handled it really nicely. He (jockey Nik Juarez) rode her very confidently.”

The Eatontown Stakes, originally scheduled for a mile and a sixteenth on grass, was switched to the main track because of early morning rain.

“I wasn't worried about the sloppy track with her,” said Juarez. “I got to ride a race on the dirt with her at Gulfstream. Todd had her in a stakes race in Florida (the Powder Break Stakes on May16) and it came off the grass and she ran on the dirt that day. So I was happy she had a dirt race under her because all of her other starts have been on the grass. I was really confident today.”

Juarez was able to sit tucked in behind dueling leaders Valedictorian and Gotham Gala in the reduced field of five through fractions of :23.85 to the opening quarter, :47.68 to the half mile and 1:12.60 to six furlongs.

Midway through the final turn he nudged Valiance to the outside and she immediately drew even with Gotham Gala, with Valedictorian starting to retreat. Gotham Gala tried gamely to stay with Valiance, but Juarez had plenty in reserve, winning by a widening 1 1/2 lengths. It was another 15 1/4 lengths back in third to Valedictorian.

Final time for the mile and a sixteenth was 1:44.25.

“We had a perfect trip, sitting right behind the speed,” said Juarez. “When we turned for home I was able to tip her out and she was much the best. She just ran away from them. I knew Valedictorian would go out for the lead. So I just wanted to wait with her and let her settle and we were able to do just that.”

Valiance, a daughter of Tapit, paid $3.80 to win as the favorite. The 4-year-old filly, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Martin Schwartz and CHC Inc., started her career 3-for-3 as a 3-year-old, with two of those victories on the turf at Monmouth Park. She is now 5-for-7 lifetime.

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Longshot Bye Bye Melvin Snares Saranac With Late Rally On Soggy Saratoga Turf

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez angled Bye Bye Melvin out in the stretch and piloted his charge through a thrilling stretch run that saw him overtake three rivals, including pacesetter Don Juan Kitten in the final jumps, for a rallying win by a head as the longest shot on the board in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Saranac for 3-year-olds at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Off at 19-1, Bye Bye Melvin tracked in second position as 2-1 favorite Don Juan Kitten led the eight-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 27.17 seconds on the soft Mellon turf course that was pelted by rain.

Velazquez guided Bye Bye Melvin through a ground-saving trip, which he capitalized on out of the final turn by tipping him out and having him pick off a pair of rivals before running down the Danny Gargan-trained Don Juan Kitten just before the wire, completing the one-mile course in 1:39.92.

The 113th running of the Saranac, originally carded for the inner turf course, marked the first stakes win for Bye Bye Melvin, a Graham Motion trainee whose previous best effort came in a runner-up effort to Vannzy in the Jersey Derby on July 26 at Monmouth Park.

“It's very soft and heavy out there,” Velazquez said. “Even though they rolled it, it feels like you're going very deep in the ground. We were running right on top of the rain, so it's deep and slick at the same time, but he came running anyway.

“The first part, I came out running just to get a position going into the first turn,” Velazquez added. “He did not want to go anywhere. I grabbed him until he got more comfortable. He was lugging in down the stretch and I had to get after him, and he was slipping and sliding but he was good enough to get there. He was trying as hard as he could, but at the same time he was slipping. But he got there anyways.”

Owned and bred by Alex G. Campbell, Jr., Bye Bye Melvin improved to 3-1-1 in nine starts and has finished first or second four times in his last six starts. The Uncle Mo colt is out of Dynaformer mare Karlovy Vary and is a half-brother to the Motion-trained three-time graded stakes-winner Mean Mary, who ran second by a neck to Rushing Fall in last week's Grade 1 Diana. Bye Bye Melvin impressed his conditioner with his effort in the inclement weather.

“He's a late developer,” Motion said. “He's been a little bit of a project in that way, but I'm not surprised with the way he ran He slugs it out and he obviously handled the soft turf better than most.”

Motion said the addition of blinkers was beneficial.

“My team at home [Fair Hill] thought it might help him focus a little bit, so I give credit to my assistant Cat McGee and Skylar McKenna, who gallops him every day,” Motion said. “He's not easy in the morning and I give them a lot of credit for how he ran today.”

Bye Bye Melvin returned $41 on a $2 win bet. He more than doubled his career earnings to $107,965.

Don Juan Kitten, ridden by Kendrick Carmouche, finished 2 ½ lengths in front of Bodecream for second, marking his best stakes performance in three attempts.

“I had everything my way. The horse ran his heart out,” Carmouche said. “With different circumstances and a bit of a firmer turf course, I think it could have made the difference for us. But the horse ran well, we went into the race good and the horse gave us 100 percent. That's all we can ask for.

“He was running on “E” by the time he [Bye Bye Melvin] got there from running over that soft turf course, the only reason the winner beat us is because he had a good gallop,” he added.

Embolden, Irish Mias, Three Technique, L'Imperator and Vanzzy completed the order of finish. Big Dreaming and Turn of Events scratched, as did main-track only entrant Ima Pharoah.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Saratoga with a 10-race card that features the Grade 3, $125,000 Shuvee for older fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles in Race 9 at 5:46 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:10 p.m.

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The Saratoga Special for Aug. 29: Once More

Issue #14 of The Saratoga Special, sponsored by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, is fresh off the digital press with previews of the Grade 1 Forego and Grade 1 Sword Dancer Stakes, a Fasig-Tipton Stable Tour with Graham Motion, a recap of the Grade 3 Lake George, and a rare three columns from Sean, Joe and Tom.

Sleepy Eyes Todd Runs Away With Charles Town Classic

Though he was making his first start on the six-furlong oval at Charles Town Races in West Virginia, Sleepy Eyes Todd showed a proficiency for a “bullring” earlier this year when winning the Gus Fonner Stakes at Nebraska's Fonner Park in front-running fashion by 6 1/2 lengths.

That helps explain why the 4-year-old gray colt by Paddy O'Prado was bet down from 10-1 on the morning line to 5-2 co-favoritism in Friday night's $600,000, Grade 2 Charles Town Classic.

He did not disappoint.

Under jockey Carlos Delgado,, Sleepy Eyes Todd outran Mo Dont No for the early lead, fought off a challenge from stakes veteran Multiplier, then ran off with a 7 1/2-length victory in the 1 1/8-mile contest. Trained by Miguel Silva for owner Thumbs Up Racing LLC, Sleepy Eyes Todd covered the distance on a fast track in 1:50.82 after setting fractions of :24.64, :49.14, 1:13.59 and 1:38.59.

He paid $7.60 for the win.

Plus Que Parfait, the G2 UAE Derby winner last year, finished second for trainer Brendan Walsh, with Timothy Grams' West Virginia-bred Runnin'toluvya – last year's Charles Town Classic winner – finishing third, Steve Asmussen-trained Tenfold fourth and Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Math Wizard fifth in the field of 10 older runners.

Out of the Wild Rush mare, Pledge Mom, Sleepy Eyes Todd was bred in Kentucky by Two Hearts Farm and Kristen Goncharoff. He was winning for the sixth time in 12 starts (at eight different tracks) and first time in a graded stakes.

The victory was worth $336,000 to the winner.

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