Valid Point to Try Older Rivals in Shadwell Turf Mile

After winning his grade 1 debut in his previous start, undefeated 3-year-old Valid Point will try older horses Oct. 5 in the $1 million Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes (G1T) on the Keeneland lawn.

Trained by Chad Brown and owned by e Five Racing Thoroughbreds and Michael Ryan, Valid Point will stay at the mile distance of his three starts—all turf races—and enters off a clear victory over other 3-year-olds in the Aug. 10 Secretariat Stakes (G1T) at Arlington International Racecourse. The son of Scat Daddy rallied from ninth in the Secretariat after opening his career with clear victories in a maiden race at Gulfstream Park and a June allowance at Belmont Park. 

For lightly raced Valid Point to extend his unbeaten streak, he'll have to defeat the past two winners of the Shadwell Turf Mile: 2018 victor Next Shares, who will start from the inside, and 2017 winner Suedois, who drew post 12. Regular rider Javier Castellano is scheduled to ride when Valid Point starts from post 4 in Saturday's race, which drew 16 entries, including two also-eligible runners.

The Shadwell Turf Mile, a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" race for the Nov. 2 TVG Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) at Santa Anita Park, is the featured race on an 11-race Keeneland card that includes five graded stakes, including three grade 1s.

Video: Secretariat S. (G1T)

Michael Iavarone, Jules Iavarone, Jerry McClanahan, Christopher Dunn, Ritchie Robershaw, Mark Taylor, and Richard Baltas' Next Shares will look to snap a four-race skid after he opened the season with a victory in the Jan. 5 San Gabriel Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita. 

A year ago, the son of Archarcharch entered the Shadwell Turf Mile off a victory in the Old Friends Stakes at Kentucky Downs. Trainer Richard Baltas again prepped Next Shares at Kentucky Downs, where this year he finished seventh in the Tourist Mile Stakes.

George Turner and Clipper Logistics' Suedois, an 8-year-old son of La Havre, has earned top-three finishes in 30 of his 46 starts. This season, he added the fifth stakes win of his career, taking the Weatherbys Racing Bank Supreme Stakes (G3) at Goodwood. He finished second in the 2016 Darley July Cup (G1) at Newmarket.

The field features three other accomplished international runners in Godolphin's Vintager, who enters off consecutive group stakes scores in France and Germany; Robin of Navan, a group 2 winner in Germany this season; and Van Beethoven, a group 2 winner who enters off a runner-up finish in the Secretariat for trainer Aidan O'Brien. That effort completed a 1-2 finish for sons of Scat Daddy. 

Entries: Shadwell Turf Mile S. (G1T)

Keeneland, Saturday, October 05, 2019, Race 10

• Grade IT
• 1m
• Turf
• $1,000,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 6:15 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Next Shares (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	126	Richard Baltas	8/1
2	2Van Beethoven (ON)	Wayne Lordan	123	Aidan P. O'Brien	10/1
3	3Bandua (KY)	Adam Beschizza	126	Jack Sisterson	6/1
4	4Valid Point (KY)	Javier Castellano	123	Chad C. Brown	5/1
5	5Bowies Hero (KY)	Flavien Prat	126	Philip D'Amato	8/1
6	6Admission Office (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	126	Brian A. Lynch	8/1
7	7Diamond Oops (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	126	Patrick L. Biancone	30/1
8	8Vintager (GB)	James Doyle	126	Charles Appleby	10/1
9	9First Premio (KY)	Miguel Mena	126	Mark E. Casse	12/1
10	10Robin of Navan (FR)	Florent Geroux	126	Harry Dunlop	10/1
11	11March to the Arch (FL)	Tyler Gaffalione	126	Mark E. Casse	12/1
12	12Suedois (FR)	Jamie P. Spencer	126	David O'Meara	8/1
13	13Divisidero (KY)	Julian Pimentel	126	Kelly Rubley	12/1
14	14Real Story (KY)	Joe Bravo	126	Ignacio Correas, IV	15/1
15	15Get Western (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	126	Charles Lopresti	30/1
16	16Emaraaty (GB)	Joel Rosario	126	Chad C. Brown	8/1