MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2018 VALE DORI BACK ON PERSISTENCE, FAITH AND THE $10,000 HORSE WHO WON THE GOLD CUP TOP IN ZENYATTA The Week in Review, by Bill Finley He was the huge square peg trying to force his way into an impossibly small round hole. The field for the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup included horses from Chad Brown, Todd Pletcher, Aidan O=Brien, Saeed bin Suroor and their owners, Phoenix Thoroughbreds, the Coolmore team, Calumet Farm and Godolphin. That doesn=t even include the multiple Grade I winner and defending Gold Cup champion Diversify (Bellamy Road), who is trained by Rick Violette, Jr. Did any of them even know who Uriah St. Lewis is? They do now. St. Lewis crashed this party, which he has a habit of doing. Normally, he goes home empty. Not Saturday. His Discreet Lover (Repent) upset the Gold Cup, paid $93 and put $412,500 into the pocket of St. Lewis, who is the horse=s owner and Vale Dori | Horsephotos trainer. (Click to continue to p5) Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum=s Vale Dori (Arg) IN TDN EUROPE TODAY (Asiatic Boy {Arg}), who had a perfect season stymied by a pair of memorable battles with champion Stellar Wind (Curlin) in PROJECT KITTEN A ROARING SUCCESS Grade I races last summer, made it back to the winner=s circle Daithi Harvey chats with Ted Voute regarding the Ramseys’ Kitten’s Joy yearlings in advance of the Goffs Orby Sale. Click or for the first time in over a year with a confident victory in the GI tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. Zenyatta S. at Santa Anita Sunday as stablemate and 1-9 favorite Abel Tasman (Quality Road) never issued a serious rally and finished a dull fifth. Dismissed at 11-1, Vale Dori shadowed pacesetting longshot Shenandoah Queen (Henny Hughes) while under a snug hold through moderate fractions of :23.98 and :48.02, while the flat- footed Abel Tasman trailed the field. Challenging for the front midway on the far turn, Vale Dori took over at the eighth pole and kicked away before holding sway from distant second favorite La Force (Ger) (Power {GB}) by a length on the wire, completing the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.88 and earning an automatic berth into the GI Breeders= Cup Distaff. A[Trainer] Bob [Baffert] said to try and get her out, whether she=s first or second, and just get her into a real smooth rhythm,@ said winning jockey Joe Talamo. AShe was laying perfect right off of Tyler [Baze]=s filly [Shenandoagh Queen] and I had a lot of horse around the turn. I was just biding my time before I let her loose and when I did, she really took off very nicely. 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I=m kind of at a loss for words. (cont. from p1) The good thing is that she didn=t get out-run, she didn=t run Baffert said he hoped the addition of blinkers would lead to a period. For whatever reason she was lethargic loading and she sharper start for Vale Dori. was slow into stride and never wanted to pick it up. There=s AShe=d been working well, but she hadn=t been getting away been a bit of the flu going around the backside with some of from the gate, and if she doesn=t get away well, she doesn=t run these horses, so hopefully it=s not well,@ he said. hitting her, but it certainly could Despite winning the race, have. She kind of made a middle Baffert admitted he was move down the backside to get concerned about the herself into some sort of position uncharacteristcally dull to maybe make a run and I thought performance of champion Abel she could probably still win Tasman, who was coming off East anyway. But then she just decided Coast wins in the June 9 that was enough.@ GI Ogden Phipps S. and Aug. 25 Vale Dori was third behind Stellar GI Personal Ensign S. Wind and Beholder (Henny AI=m worried about that mare Hughes) in the 2016 GI Zenyatta S. [Abel Tasman] because Mike before embarking on a six-race win [Smith] said she was lethargic, streak which included victories in and she=s up there where all last year=s GII La Canada S., these sick horses are, so I hope Zenyatta winner=s circle celebration | Benoit GII Santa Maria S. and GI Santa she=s not getting sick,@ Baffert Margarita S. said. AShe was never interested today at all. I=m about as Cont. p4 shocked as everybody else, but they=ll do that.@ TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 13 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • OCTOBER 1, 2018 The win streak ended with two dramatic neck losses to Stellar Wind in the GI Beholder Mile and GI Clement L Hirsch S. last summer. She returned from nine months on the sidelines to finish fifth in the May 6 GIII Adoration S. and was a well-beaten Sunday, Santa Anita fourth behind Unique Bella (Tapit) in the June 2 Beholder Mile. ZENYATTA S.-GI, $300,345, Santa Anita, 9-30, 3yo/up, f/m, She was returning to the graded ranks and adding blinkers 1 1/16m, 1:44.88, ft. Sunday after a third-place finish in the June 22 Santa Lucia S. 1--VALE DORI (ARG), 123, m, 6, by Asiatic Boy (Arg) and a distant runner-up effort in the Aug. 24 Tranquility Lake S. 1st Dam: Valerina (Arg), by Halo Sunshine 2nd Dam: Valereusse (Arg), by Equalize Pedigree Notes: 3rd Dam: Valery Toss (Arg), by Egg Toss Sheikh Khalifa also campaigned Vale Dori=s sire to win the G2 O-Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum; B-Abolengo UAE Derby in 2007 and Round 3 of the G2 Maktoum Challenge (ARG); T-Bob Baffert; J-Joseph Talamo. $180,000. Lifetime in 2009. He was also runner-up to Curlin in the 2008 G1 Dubai Record: G1SW-Arg, GSP-UAE, 21-10-6-2, $1,365,567. World Cup. Sent to Kiaran McLaughlin in the second half of Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the 2009, he was runner-up in the GI Stephen Foster H. and in the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. GII Suburban H. in four appearances. Vale Dori=s third dam Valery Toss (Arg) (Egg Toss) produced 2--La Force (Ger), 121, f, 4, by Power (GB) Group 1 winners Vacacionada (Arg) (Southern Halo) and Valery 1st Dam: La Miraculeuse (Ger), by Samum (Ger) Lady (Arg) (Roy). 2nd Dam: L'Heure Bleue (Ire), by Kendor (Fr) 3rd Dam: Loire Princesse (Ire), by Tate Gallery (i22,000 RNA Ylg '15 BBAGS). O-Roberta & Ward Williford VALE DORI and Charles N. Winner; B-Gestut Karlshof (GER); T-Patrick WIN AND YOU’RE IN ™ Gallagher. $60,000. connection earnings include: $ Automatic berth into #BC18 Distaff $ $60,000 in pre-entry & entry fees 3--Shenandoah Queen, 121, m, 6, by Henny Hughes $ Travel award up to $10,000 for domestic 1st Dam: High Speed Goldie, by Parade Ground starters and $40,000 for international starters 2nd Dam: Gold Fleece, by Deputed Testamony +$10,000 nominator award to Sheikh 3rd Dam: Go Solo, by Riverman Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum ($24,000 Ylg '13 OBSWIN; $95,000 RNA 2yo '14 OBSMAR).