Strike Again up late in Buddy D; Valli with a Vow bursts through in Pago Hop

Strike Again up late in Buddy D; Valli with a Vow bursts
through in Pago Hop

Strike Again has sprung to life on a new circuit (Lou Hodges Jr. Photo) Woodbine-based trainers Malcolm Pierce and Josie Carroll swept both of Saturday’s turf stakes at their winter home, the historic New Orleans Fair Grounds. Pin Oak Stable’s homebred STRIKE AGAIN (Dixie Union) made his debut for Pierce a winning one with a well-timed rally in the $60,000 Buddy Diliberto Memorial H., while Darrell and Lendy Brown’s homebred VALLI WITH A VOW (Broken Vow) was a smashing last-to-first heroine in the $60,000 Pago Hop S. Strike Again, last seen finishing a fast-closing third in the October 10 Remington Green S. in his only outing for Donnie Von Hemel, was dispatched as the 6-1 fourth choice in the seven-horse Diliberto field. Even-money favoritism went to Gran Estreno (Arg) (Lucky Roberto), who stalked early, launched a bold bid on the far turn, and spurted three lengths clear in midstretch. By that point, Strike Again was hitting his best stride from well off the pace for Miguel Mena. Collaring Gran Estreno in the final yards, Strike Again won going away by three-quarters of a length and stopped the teletimer in 1:45 for about 1 1/16 miles on the firm turf.

“I had a good trip and was able to keep off the pace and make my late run on
the outside,” said Mena, who kept Strike Again wide on both turns to stay clear
of traffic.

“I just got this horse a week ago,” Pierce said. “Donnie K. Von Hemel
(Midwest-based trainer for Pin Oak’s Josephine Abercrombie) should get all the
credit for this win.”

Strike Again returned $15, $5.40 and $3.60. Gran Estreno was 2 1/4 lengths
ahead of third-place finisher Vanquisher (Gulch).

“He gave me a nice run,” jockey Robby Albarado said of Gran Estreno. “The
winner’s a nice horse; take nothing away from him. My horse ran his race; he was
running to the wire. That was two nice horses battling.”

Originally trained by Bill Mott, Strike Again had captured the 2009 Tap the
Admiral S. at Saratoga, but he failed to build on that effort in subsequent
stakes attempts in the East. The four-year-old joined Von Hemel at Remington and
showed that a change of scenery agreed with him when just missing last out. With
this second stakes score to his credit, Strike Again sports a mark of 15-5-2-1,
$208,553.

The Kentucky-bred was produced by the multiple stakes-winning Strike It Up
(Smart Strike), making him a half-brother to Grade 3 heroine and seven-time
stakes star Euphony (Forest Wildcat). Strike Again’s second dam is Bishop’s Mate
(Lyphard), a winning full sister to multiple Grade 2 victress Fairy Garden, and
his third dam is multiple Grade 2 queen Possible Mate (King’s Bishop).

Valli with a Vow created a big impression (Lou Hodges Jr. Photo) Two races later in the Pago Hop, Valli with a Vow was positively explosive beneath James Graham, who said that she “came running like a bear” in her stakes bow. Dead last of 14 at the half-mile mark, the 8-1 chance loped as far as 15 lengths off the taxing pace, but made up ground rapidly. Valli with a Vow sliced between rivals down the lane, put the race away in a few strides, and streaked 3 1/4 lengths clear. The dark bay sophomore completed about one grassy mile in 1:38 3/5 to reward her backers with $19, $10.80 and $7.60. Silver La Belle (Langfuhr) was best of the rest by a length from Caminadora (More Than Ready). Kitty Love (Kitten’s Joy), the 9-5 favorite, was never in the hunt and wound up 10th. “(Valli with a Vow) was a nervous filly when she began her career here (last winter),” said assistant trainer Ruth Schmidt, “but she’s put it all together now and was very relaxed today. James knows her very well and they get along together very well.”

Schmidt was deputizing for Carroll, who stayed at Woodbine to watch her
exciting juvenile Inglorious (Hennessy) romp in the Ontario Lassie S.

Valli with a Vow was coming off a five-length score in an entry-level
allowance at Woodbine on October 31, and her scorecard now stands at 11-3-1-1,
$126,599.

The Kentucky-bred filly is a half-sister to the French stakes-placed Fever
Fever (Elusive Quality). Their dam, the winning Valley Fever (Peaks and
Valleys), is in turn a half-sister to Grade 3 victress and Grade 1-placed
Chimichurri (Elusive Quality). With her third dam being the multiple
stakes-placed Homespun (Round Table), Valli with a Vow hails from the family of
Irish/Italian highweight Mashaallah (Nijinsky II), Grade 1 queen Folk Art
(Nijinsky II), multiple stakes-winning sire Sportin’ Life (Nijinsky II),
Japanese champion Eishin Champ (Mi Cielo), French Group 1 scorer Local Talent
(Northern Dancer) and Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) hero and sire Mark of Esteem
(Ire) (Darshaan).