Team Valor International, trainer Rodolph Brisset and Stephen McKay’s TALK VEUVE TO ME easily captured her first stakes win Saturday evening at Indiana Grand when pulling away in the stretch of the $200,000 Indiana Oaks (G3) to score by 4 3/4 lengths.
The dark bay sophomore pressed the opening half-mile pace of :23.17 and :46.66 set by Molecules before taking over on the final turn. Talk Veuve to Me merely opened up from there, finishing under a hand ride from jockey Julien Leparoux to complete 1 1/16 miles over the fast main track in 1:43.15.
Figarella’s Queen proved best of the rest at 13-1, finishing second by 6 3/4 lengths. Kelly’s Humor just got her head down on the wire to take third over Skeptic, who was followed under the wire by Harbor Lights, Molecules and Diamondcoat.
Sent off the prohibitive 1-10 favorite against her six rivals, Talk Veuve to Me paid $2.20. The Violence filly ran second in her debut at Ellis Park last August, but wouldn’t be seen in competition again until breaking her maiden by 11 lengths on March 25 at Fair Grounds. She showed up on Kentucky Oaks Day at Churchill Downs to finish second in the Eight Belles Stakes (G2) and filled that same spot last out in the Acorn Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park behind division leader Monomoy Girl on Belmont Stakes Day.
Talk Veuve to Me is now 2-3-0 from five lifetime starts and has banked $319,400 lifetime.
Bred in Kentucky by JSM Equine LLC, Talk Veuve to Me is out of the Point Given mare Biblical Point, who is a full sister to multiple Grade 2-placed stakes winner Winning Point. Her third dam is Group 3-placed Star in the North, who produced Grade 1 hero Cool, and her fourth dam is Lighted Lamp, from whom is descended numerous group/graded winners.
INDIANA OAKS QUOTES
Julien Leparoux, jockey Talk Veuve to Me, winner
“I’ve been watching her races. She’s got that tactical speed. The 1 horse wanted to be on the lead, but she relaxed beautifully off of the 1. She’s push button. On the second turn, I just let her go on her own. I didn’t really ask her. She went to the lead and relaxed again and went on in the straight again. She’s a very nice filly.
“I think two turns will be good for her, even more distance will be OK for her. She hasn’t run a bad race yet. She always fights hard. I think she can improve from that.”
On teaming with good friend and trainer Rodolphe Brisset
“It’s great. And even the owner Stephen McKay is one of our friends from a long time ago. Team Valor is great too. It’s good teamwork, and it’s fun to win for them.”
Rodolphe Brisset, trainer Talk Veuve to Me, winner
“She showed what I was expecting her to show. It was maybe a little quicker than what I was thinking on paper. But she took the lead pretty easy. You could see that she was looking around a lot, just went to the wire cruising.
“She’s very unlucky being born in one of the best years – how many good fillies do we have this year, between Monomoy Girl, Midnight Bisou and Red Ruby and I’m sure I’ve left out some. It’s a very, very strong year for three-year-old fillies. I don’t know where everybody wants to go. She may have to face them and turn the table on some to be in the top three. But we are what we are.”
On heading to Saratoga on Monday
“Enjoy the weather and then we’ll see what’s next.”
Barry Irwin, president of Team Valor International, majority owner of Talk Veuve to Me, winner
“She had two real hard races, the Acorn, the Eight Belles. We wanted to find a spot we were confident she would win. Just so she wouldn’t lose another race and get seconditis. Rodolphe picked out this one, and it worked out great.”
Looking forward to a rematch with Monomoy Girl?
“Not really at this moment. Maybe later. She’s still lightly raced. We still don’t know what she wants to do yet. One thing that’s encouraging about her, when she breezes in the morning, she completes the work. When she goes into the next turn galloping out, she takes off again. Who knows? She might go a mile and an eighth, mile and a quarter.”
Robby Albarado, jockey Figarella’s Queen, second
“She ran huge. The winner might be one of the top three fillies in the country. To be second to her is not too bad.”
