Ivan Fallunovalot wins David M. Vance Stakes for fourth time

Ivan Fallunovalot. Ivan Fallunovalot. Ivan Fallunovalot. Ivan Fallunovalot. It's a name you see a lot when it comes to the $150,000 David M. Vance Stakes at Remington Park.

 

This 7-year-old gelded son of Valid Expectations has won the 2014, 2015, 2016 and now the 2017 edition of the Vance Stakes and seemed to look better as a 7-year-old than he did the other three years. In fact, his time of 1:08.19 in the six-furlong sprint was a new stakes record for the David Vance Stakes, beating the old mark of 1:08.72, run by Humble Smarty in the first running of this race in 2011.

 

"He just seems to be getting better," said jockey Luis Quinonez. "He was tough to handle as a 3-year-old, getting him to switch leads and things like that, but now he's a dream."

 

Ivan Fallunovalot, owned by Lewis E. Mathews Jr. of Bismarck, Ark., and trained by W.T. "Tom" Howard, came extremely close to the track record set in 1991 by Smoke Of Ages. The official Daily Racing Form chart that day marked the time at 1:08, when times were still kept in fifths of a second, before they were recorded in hundredths of a second.

 

"I thought we had a chance at it and I pushed him a little this time, but it just wasn't quite enough," said Quinonez. "He wanted to go to the lead at the 3/8ths pole, and I wanted to make him happy, so I let him go. Down the stretch, I really thought we might get it."

 

This horse has been so sharp, winning six of his last eight starts, mostly in stakes company, that Mathews is tempted to take him back to the Breeders' Cup Sprint.

 

"When we took him in 2015, it was the worst trip during a race that he's ever had, so yes it is tempting," said Mathews. "We'll let the horse tell us what he wants to do."

 

Ivan Fallunovalot was the heavy 2-5 betting favorite with Wings Locked up running second, three lengths back. Counterforce rounded out the top three in the race. Ivan Fallunovalot is such a strong crowd favorite that he keyed a Pick 3 payout of $1.55.

 

The payoffs had Ivan Fallunovalot at $2.80 to win, $2.10 to place and $2.10 to show. Wings Locked Up paid $5.20 to place and $4 to show. Counterforce paid $6.60 to show.

 

Bred in Texas by Eileen Hartis, Ivan Fallunovalot is a gelding by Valid Expectations from the Horse Chestnut (SAF) mare Flashdance Missy. A winner of 17 races from 28 career attempts, Ivan Fallunovalot picked up $89,847 in winning his fourth straight Vance Stakes. He has now earned $945,803 overall.