Valiance gets it done in Spinster to secure Breeders' Cup Distaff spot

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Martin Schwartz and CHC Inc.’s Valiance collared pace-setting Shedaresthedevil at the eighth pole and then held off a late bid from Ollie’s Candy by three-quarters of a length to win the 65th running of the $400,000 Spinster Stakes (G1) for fillies and mares Sunday afternoon.

The victory secured a spot in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) to be run at Keeneland Nov. 7. 

Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Luis Saez, Valiance covered the 1 1/8 miles on a fast main track in 1:49.76. 

For Pletcher, Keeneland’s all-time leading trainer in stakes wins with 57, it was his fourth Juddmonte Spinster victory. Previous wins came from Panty Raid (2007), In Lingerie (2012) and Got Lucky (2015). 

For Saez, it was his fifth victory in 10 graded stakes during Fall Stars Weekend, including Grade 1 scores in the Darley Alcibiades on Friday with Simply Ravishing and in Saturday’s Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity on Essential Quality. He won four races Sunday, including the final three.

Shedaresthedevil, fresh off a victory in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), set the pace while under token pressure from Lady Kate through fractions of :23.62, :46.97 and 1:10.85. On the far turn, Saez moved Valiance up to the flank of the leader and the two raced as a team until midstretch when Valiance took control. 

With her first graded stakes victory, Valiance earned $240,000 and increased her earnings to $469,575 with a record of 8: 6-0-0. She is a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Tapit out of the Empire Maker mare Last Full Measure. 

Valiance, a $650,000 auction purchase as a 2-year-old entered the Spinster off a win in the off-the-turf Eatontown Stakes at ,Monmouth Park on Aug. 29. 

“That was kind of the one thing missing on her resume was that graded stakes win," Pletcher said. "With a filly of her quality and pedigree, something like that was so valuable to her and we felt like in light of how well she was doing, it was worth taking a shot.”

Pletcher, who also won the Bourbon Stakes (G3) earlier on the card with Mutasaabeq, added the plan is for Valiance to take advantage of the fees-paid berth she earned for the Breeders' Cup Distaff.

“That would be the hope," he said. "We’ll see how she comes out of it. Probably bring her and Mutasaabeq back to New York this week and prepare from Belmont. If she trains accordingly, that will be the goal.”

Valiance paid $14.80, $5.60 and $2.80. Ollie’s Candy, ridden by Joel Rosario, returned $4 and $2.40 and finished 2½ lengths in front of favored Shedaresthedevil, who paid $2.20 to show under Florent Geroux. 

It was another 5 3/4-lengths back to Lady Kate, who was followed in order by Saracosa and Our Super Freak.