Pedigree coincides with a price tag of $1.5 million. Hall of Fame trainers and jockeys. Owners who have reached the peak of the sport are currently campaigning for real-life Preakness Stakes winners. Add it all and you have a serious racehorses – is that right?
The 3-year-old Colt Valentinian will be taking part in Saturday’s Neelabet Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park, a local prep for the signature race at New Jersey State Racecourse on July 19th. He will set the fourth career start of owners Eclipse Sorrbred Partners (co-owned Preakness Winner Journalism) and Stonestreet Stables under the expert guidance of Todd Pletcher. Pegasus painted a field of competitive eight horses who were not ready to run in any of the triple crown races, but with obvious talent and could potentially take a step forward. #4 Valentine’s Day Leading this bundle, he is my choice to beat Pegasus.
Eclipse Sorlarbred Partners purchased Valentinian in one year at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale, and breeder Stonestreet Stables held interest. Why is it so expensive? Because he was a son led towards mischief, and won the Grade 1 stakes by a dam (mother) named Rachel Valentina, and placed second in the Boys Phillies in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup. Valentinian’s second dam (maternal grandmother) is nothing more than Rachel Alexandra, the Hall of Fame and 2009 Horse of the Year. Simply put, Valentinians were raised as stars.
Throughout the three races, Valentinian has yet to meet that marquee bill, but he has shown enough progress to win my support. He earned his career debut on March 1st, finishing third and fourth in the allowance option options races in April and May. On his recent fourth-place outing, he ran on the sloppy tracks of the Churchill Downs early in the Kentucky Derby announced by Woodford Reserve undercard, and did not threaten the top horses. The winner of that race, Goal Oriental, returned to fourth in the Preakness Stakes after hitting midstretch journalism, with runner-up Hypnosis returning two weeks ago to win a quality allowance race at Churchill.
If Valentinian scores a fast track on Saturday, he should be prepared to improve and secure his first stakes victory. Monmouth’s dirt tracks support speed, and Valentinians are stalkers, but this race should require a solid pace to get closer to #.3 Galamond (Who could become a Post Time favorite) #5 Bracket Busterand #6 wildcrazynight Everything prefers to step on the gas early.
Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez has been riding Valentinian in his previous two starts and holds the mount on Saturday. I hope he will calm his mount in the fourth or fifth halfway through Pegasus and then bid on the lead on a far turn. If this emergency reared colt put it all together, I will cash out the winning bet and hopefully accurate ones and look forward to seeing him in Haskell next month.
On a budget of $30, my bet is:
A $15 win is #4 Valentinia
What to say in the betting window: Monmouth Park, Race 8, #4 wins $10
$5 Exacta, #4 Valentinian #3 Garamond, #5 Bracket Buster, and #8 National Law ($15)
What to say in the betting window: Monmouth Park, Race 8, $5 exacta, #4 with #1, #3, and #8
