Mark Valeski captures Peter Pan

Brereton Jones and trainer Larry Jones opted to bypass the Kentucky Derby

with dual Grade 2-placed Mark Valeski and the move paid off as the Proud Citizen

colt scored his first stakes win in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes at

Belmont Park. Jockey Rosie Napravnik, who piloted the Jones duo's Believe You

Can to victory in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, was aboard as Mark Valeski finished

nine furlongs on the fast track in 1:48 1/5.

"I thought it was really good," Larry Jones said. "We were a little wide, and

Rosie said she didn't want to be out there, but she just didn't want to take a

shot of him getting down in there and getting hung up behind horses. She felt

like she was on enough horse where she could give up some ground and just keep

him clear. We just needed a real good race in him to see where we sat, and he

answered the questions like we thought he should, and like we thought he could.

"We're very happy with this performance today, they were rolling up front and

he was staying close to them, so all was well. I kept thinking to myself, 'Well,

if we win this thing by a bunch I'm going to wonder if I should have been at the

Derby,' but we made the right decision. He (Brereton Jones) did, to be honest

with you, because he doesn't have the Derby fever that we've got to be there. He said, 'Do what's right for my horse.'"

Napravnik settled Mark Valeski into midpack as speedsters Right to Vote and The

Lumber Guy hit the front. Right to Vote set the pace through sizzling splits of :22

3/5, :45 1/5 and 1:09 2/5 with Grade 2 Jerome Stakes scorer The Lumber Guy

tracking in second just behind. Though the gray colt tried to make up ground,

the early pace had taken its toll and The Lumber Guy began backing up entering

the turn. Meanwhile, Napravnik had angled Mark Valeski to the outside and the

pair put in their run to draw even with Right to Vote as they hit the stretch.

Despite setting the torrid early fractions, Right to Vote kept motoring in

the lane and made Mark Valeski work for the 1 1/4-length victory. The dark bay gelding held

second from a furiously rallying Street Life, who had six lengths to spare on

fourth-placer Good Morning Diva.

"I asked him out of the gate pretty good because I know sometimes in these

races with a lot of speed, everybody is waiting to see who goes, so that way you

can get yourself a better position if you ride a little more aggressively,"

Napravnik explained her ride. "I still didn't get to where I wanted to be, but

there was plenty of speed in there and he was the best horse, and that's what

got us there.

"He was right there when I needed him. He was waiting on me. He does whatever

you want. He could have been on the lead if he wanted to and would have been

last if I'd asked him. That's the really nice part about riding versatile horses

in these big races, it gives you a lot more options and opportunities to get a

good trip."

Mark Valeski paid $4.70, $3.30 and $2.80 as the 6-5 favorite. Right to Vote

ran well in defeat to be a half-length in front of Street Life on the wire.

"He ran huge," trainer Eoin Harty praised his charge, Right to Vote. "(Announcer) Tom Durkin, he was putting the fear of God in me there,

'Lightning fractions! He goes a half in 45!' I'm thinking, 'When is he going to

die?' He hung in there. I don't know what our next stop is going to be, maybe

the (Grade 2) Dwyer (on June 30 at Belmont)."

Following fourth-placer Good Morning Diva under the Peter Pan wire were Big

Screen, The Lumber Guy, Hakama, Summer Front, Master Rick and Le Bernardin.

Teeth of the Dog and Zetterholm were withdrawn in favor of running in next

Saturday's Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.

Mark Valeski had the graded earnings to make the Kentucky Derby field

following a pair of seconds in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes and Grade 2

Louisiana Derby, but his connections weren't impressed with his final work

before the Run for the Roses. They withdrew the colt from Derby consideration

and began training him for the Peter Pan one week later. Mark Valeski responded

with the win on Saturday and could now be pointed to the Belmont Stakes on

June 9 over the same Belmont Park dirt.

"We're going to Churchill with him, and then we'll see how he comes out and

whether we try to come back (for the $1 million Belmont Stakes) or what our next

plan is," Larry Jones remarked. "There are plenty for options for him. We're

sure going to look (at the Belmont) because it sure looked like he handled this

track well, and slowing the fractions down a little bit he's going to carry that

speed a lot farther. He'll probably be a forward factor in the Belmont,

especially if Bodemeister and them rip each other apart in the Preakness. We'll

see how the Preakness turns out and who's left available. We're sure not going

to rule it out -- we know where Belmont is."

The bay runner began his racing career with a fourth-place finish at Delaware

Park last July and stayed at that venue to break his maiden next out in late

September. Those were his only starts as a juvenile, and Mark Valeski reappeared

as a sophomore to take an optional claimer at Fair Grounds prior to his stakes

debut in the Risen Star. The Kentucky homebred improved his line to read 6-3-2-0

on Saturday and has now banked $430,952 in lifetime earnings.

Mark Valeski is the only black-type winner out of the Grade 1-placed multiple

stakes-winning Fortunate Prospect mare Pocho's Dream Girl. His third dam is the

Hail to Reason mare Silver True, who captured the 1966 Spinaway Stakes and would

go on in the breeding shed to produce dual Grade 1 victor and sire Silver Buck.

This female family is also responsible for champion Silver Spoon; Grade 1

heroes State Dinner and Banquet Table; and Dinner Gong, third in the 1948

edition of the Peter Pan.