Lady Valentine Easy to Spot at Gulfstream

There are over 1,300 horses stabled and training at Gulfstream Park, but it’s remarkably easy to pick out Lady Valentine among the sea of shimmering bay and chestnut coats. A rare Thoroughbred registered as white, the 2-year-old filly has just a few dark freckle marks on her ghostly coat.            

“This is the first white horse I’ve seen down here,” trainer Aubrey Maragh remarked. “She’s a track favorite; everybody loves her out there. She has two little black spots near her ears. When she has her bath, she gets pink.”            

Lady Valentine is a daughter of Allamystique, a uniquely marked white stallion who is known for his colorful offspring. She is the first foal from the hard-knocking chestnut mare Evolutionary Lady, a winner of seven of 53 career starts.            

It has been six weeks since the unique filly joined Maragh’s 19-horse string at Gulfstream. Lady Valentine has breezed twice during that period and will eventually carry the colors of Box It Stable, but the conditioner is taking his time with her.            

“She’s still growing and really needs to fill out,” Maragh explained. “She’s a baby. She’s a very nice horse, very playful. She doesn’t kick, she doesn’t bite. She doesn’t eat a lot, so we’re trying to get her to eat and put a little weight on.”            

According to Maragh, Lady Valentine was purchased as a pet for her owner’s 13-year-old daughter, but will get a chance to see what she can do on the racetrack before a possible career as a show horse.            

“He and his daughter come out to watch her train, mostly on weekends,” Maragh said. “They love that horse. I know I definitely won’t be running her [in claiming races].”