Report: Vahva will return in Pink Ribbon at Charles Town

Vahva, who returned to form with a win in the Grade 2 Chicago Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs, will make her next start in the Pink Ribbon Stakes on Aug. 22 at Charles Town.

Trainer Cherie DeVaux is considering another attempt in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint for Vahva as her goal after the Pink Ribbon, according to a report from Marcus Hersh of Daily Racing Form. DeVaux did not think Vahva handled the Saratoga surface well last summer, hence the plan to run her elsewhere.

Though Vahva has done most of her best work around one turn, she has won at the two-turn, seven-furlong trip at Charles Town before. Her first graded-stakes win came when she won the 2023 Charles Town Oaks (G3) by 1 1/4 lengths as the betting favorite.

Vahva's win Saturday in the Chicago Stakes was her first victory in about a year, since the 2024 edition of the same race. The three-quarter-length victory over Claret Beret improved her career record to 17: 7-3-3 and raised her earnings to $1.99 million.