Friday’s Valley View S. (G3) at Keeneland proved so popular that it will be
run in two divisions. Originally worth $150,000, each division of the 1
1/16-mile turf affair for three-year-old fillies will feature a $125,000 purse,
and it’s the first time since 1999 that a Keeneland stakes has been run in two
divisions.
In the
first
division, SILVER REUNION (Harlan’s Holiday) is the 119-pound highweight
among 12 rivals. The dark bay filly exits a 3 1/4-length, wire-to-wire score in
her turf debut, the one-mile Riskaverse S. at Saratoga on September 3, in which
she netted a field-best 102 BRIS Speed rating, and she’s captured three of her
last four starts for Graham Motion. Ramon Dominguez will retain the mount.
Other challengers include REX REGINA (Ire) (King’s Best), who will make her
North American debut for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget. The French stakes heroine
is three-for-six overall and she’ll pick up the services of Julien Leparoux.
Boiling Springs S. (G3) runner-up KIAWAH CAT (Lemon Drop Kid) and Sands Point
S. (G2) third-placer BLUEGRASS PRINCESS (Dynaformer) also merit respect for
conditioners Bill Mott and Kiaran McLaughlin, respectively.
Thirteen, including an also-eligible, are set for the
second
division, and two fillies, AFTERNOON STROLL (Stroll) and KEERTANA (Johar),
will carry top weight of 123 pounds. Afternoon Stroll will be back at
Keeneland seeking her first victory since posting a 50-1 shocker last April in
the Appalachian S. (G3). The Tim Hamm runner has placed in three stakes
since that upset, including a third in the Riskaverse most recently, and she was
flattered when the rival she narrowly defeated in the Appalachian, Hot Cha Cha
(Cactus Ridge), won the Queen Elizabeth II Invitational Challenge Cup (G1) last
Saturday. Afternoon Stroll will be piloted by regular rider Jamie Theriot.
Grade 3 queen Keertana won the Indiana Downs Distaff in July, was second in
the Lake Placid S. (G2) in August to eventual Queen Elizabeth II runner-up Shared
Account (Pleasantly Perfect), and is coming off a third-place finish in the Garden City
S. (G1) last month. The Tom Proctor pupil will be reunited with Robby Albarado, who was
last up for her victory in the Regret S. (G3) in June.
Adding further depth to the field are Canadian invader AURORA LIGHTS
(Pulpit), winner of the Selene S. (Can-G3) when making her stakes debut last
out; Irish import MISS KELLER (Ire) (Montjeu [Ire]), who is eligible to
improve off a fourth in her U.S. bow, the Lake Placid; and Grade 1 runner-up HAKA (Dynaformer), who was last seen finishing third in Chaldea S. at Belmont.