Fault headlines overflow field in Keeneland's Valley View Stakes
Agave Racing Stable’s Fault, winner of the Pucker Up (G3) at Arlington prior to finishing a close third in the Sands Point (G2) at Belmont, tops a field of 14 3-year-old fillies and one also-eligible entered Tuesday for Friday’s 27th running of the $150,000 Pin Oak Valley View (G3).
The Pin Oak Valley View, run at 1 1/16 miles on the Keeneland turf course, will go as the ninth race on Friday’s 10-race program with a 5:30 p.m. ET post time. First post time Friday is 1:05 p.m.
A $50,000 claim in May, Fault has compiled a 5-1-3-1 record for her new ownership. Trained by Michelle Lovell, Fault finished second in the TaWee at Indiana Grand before winning the Pucker Up. In the Sands Point, Fault trailed only Uni (GB) and La Coronel – the latter came back to win Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Lane’s End (G1).
Brian Hernandez Jr. has the mount on Fault and will break from post position seven.
Back to challenge Fault from the Pucker Up are the 2-3 finishers from that August race: Sam-Son Farm’s Journey Home and James Miller’s Lovely Bernadette.
Graham Motion, who has saddled the past two winners of the Pin Oak Valley View, trains Journey Home, who was beaten a neck in the Pucker Up. Winner of the Jimmy Durante (G3) at Del Mar last fall, Journey Home will break from post position nine and be ridden by Jose Oritz.
Lovely Bernadette, trained by Jimmy DiVito, enters Friday’s race off a 1½-length victory in the Indiana Grand Ladies on Sept. 6. Florent Geroux has the mount on Lovely Bernadette and will break from post position one.
The field for the Pin Oak Valley View, with riders and weights, is: Lovely Bernadette (Geroux, 120 pounds),Chastise (John Velazquez, 118), Let It Ride Mom (Corey Lanerie, 118), Princess La Quinta (Carlos Marquez Jr., 118), I’m Betty G (Julien Leparoux, 118), Defiant Honor (James Graham, 120), Fault (Hernandez Jr., 118),Youngest Daughter (Jon Court, 118), Journey Home (Ortiz, 118), Dolce Lili (Nik Juarez, 118), SweepingPaddy (Robby Albarado, 118), Fizzy Friday (GB) (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118), Sully’s Dream (Channing Hill, 118) and Ladies’ Privilege (Edwin Gonzalez, 120). Also-Eligible: Dancing Breeze (IRE) (Feargal Lynch, 118).