Melnyk Racing Stables’ homebred INDIAN VALE (A.P. Indy) recorded her first
graded win in stylish fashion on Saturday, grabbing the lead at the start of the
$105,800
Turnback the Alarm H. (G3) and extending her margin to 9 1/2 lengths at
the wire. Now 5-4-0-0 overall with earnings of $154,680, the Todd Pletcher-trained
sophomore filly was never threatened as the 3-5 favorite, establishing moderate
splits of :25 1/5, :49 1/5 and 1:13 1/5 before drawing off through the Aqueduct
stretch to finish nine furlongs on the fast track in 1:49 4/5.
The chestnut paid $3.20, $2.30 and $2.10 while starting the $7 exacta with Taittinger Rose (Menifee), who was off at 3-1 and gave back $2.70 and $2.10.
Asti (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells), the 5-2 second choice, returned $2.10 after
finishing another 1 1/4 lengths back in third and rounded out the $11.40
trifecta (7-2-5). Silent Siren (Quiet American) and Wait It Out (Swain [Ire])
came next under the wire. Personal Legend (Awesome Again) was withdrawn early
and Shebelongstoyou (Belong to Me) was scratched at the gate.
Bred in Ontario by Eugene Melnyk, Indian Vale is the first registered foal out of 1999
Test S. (G1) winner Marley Vale (Forty Niner), who earned $569,502 from a
17-6-5-2 mark. The nine-year-old mare is also the dam of the unraced
two-year-old colt Manor Lodge (Dixieland Band), an unnamed yearling filly by A.P.
Indy and a weanling colt by A.P. Indy. Indian Vale captured a maiden race and
two allowances by large margins before finishing fifth as the favorite in her
stakes bow, the Cotillion H. (G2), in her previous start at Philadelphia Park.
Indian Vale bounced back well on Saturday and Pletcher said she could run
back on the December 17 Lady’s H. at Aqueduct before heading to Florida for the
winter.