Sweeping Paddy handily won the Regret (G3) in June over Proctor’s Ledge, who later swept Saratoga’s major stakes for three-year-old turf fillies, The Dale Romans-trained filly will look to rebound from a sub-par effort against that rival Friday in the $150,000 Valley View (G3) at Keeneland. At 1 1/16 miles on the turf, the Valley View has attracted an overflow field of 14, plus one also eligible, the English import Dancing Breeze.
A 3 1/2-length winner of the Regret at Churchill Downs on Stephen Foster Night, Sweeping Paddy could not replicate that performance in the Lake George (G3) at the Spa. Rating second through the first half, Sweeping Paddy faded badly in the lane and trailed the field of 10, 8 1/2 lengths behind Proctor’s Ledge.
Ex-claimer Fault brings solid credentials to Friday’s race, including a narrow victory over Journey Home in the August 12 Pucker Up (G3) on the Arlington Million undercard. She was subsequently third behind Uni and La Coronel, winner of last weekend’s Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1), in the Sands Point (G2) at Belmont Park.
Grade 3 winner Journey Home has not raced since the Pucker Up, but third-place finisher Lovely Bernadette came back to beat I’m Betty G and Youngest Daughter in the $200,000 Indiana Grand. I’m Betty G figures to be one of the primary pacesetters in the Valley View, having done so at Indiana Grand and in the Commonwealth Oaks (G3) at Laurel last out, where she finished third.
Trainers Chad Brown and Todd Pletcher both have recent allowance winners making their stakes debuts in the Valley View. Brown has entered Dolce Lili, a daughter of Scat Daddy who went two-for-three at Monmouth Park over the summer, while Pletcher sends out the Claiborne homebred Chastise, who came back from a near 10-month layoff to win at Saratoga on August 19. The daughter of Blame broke her maiden over the Keeneland turf last October.
The Jimmy Toner-trained Defiant Honor was the beaten favorite when sixth in the Lake George, but rebounded to take the $100,000 Riskaverse, a restricted stakes later in the Saratoga meet. She, too, is in search of better form after trailing the field of eight in the Sands Point.
Dancing Breeze, stakes placed twice in England for John Gosden, would debut here for Graham Motion should the daughter of New Approach draw in to the race.
