Vedareo Romps by Six in Sorority Stakes at Monmouth

It's going to take a few more dazzling performances like her Aug. 21 romp in the Sorority Stakes for Vedareo  to come close to the accomplishments of her champion half sister, but the 2-year-old filly appears to be on her way.

Sent to the front early by jockey Frankie Pennington in her first start around two turns, Vedareo toyed with her six rivals on the way to a six-length romp Aug. 21 in the $200,000 Sorority Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Monmouth Park.

Vedareo is a half sister to Vequist , who won the 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), one of two grade 1 wins in her brief five-race career.

"Physically, she looks amazingly like (Vequist)," said Butch Reid, the trainer of both fillies. "She even caught me by surprise today in the paddock. She looked bigger in the stall than she has before. She is really growing nicely and handling her weight nicely."

After winning her career debut at Parx Racing June 14, the daughter of Daredevil  -Vero Amore  by Mineshaft was fifth in the Schuylerville Stakes (G3) July 14 at Saratoga Race Course. But Reid said too many factors worked against her that day.

"After that debacle in Saratoga, I couldn't be happier," said Reid, who got his start as a trainer at Monmouth Park in 1982. "She got slammed that race, didn't get off great, and didn't handle it at all. That was the first day of the Saratoga meet and the track was very deep that day. That's never going to be her favorite surface.

"Today it looked like she rated, so I'm hoping the more two-turn races we get in her, the more we'll get her to relax."

Let go at 9-1, Vedareo was able to carve out moderate fractions with only token pressure, gliding to the first quarter in :23.59, to the half in :47.16 and to three quarters in 1:11.82. She stopped the clock in 1:38.43 on a track labeled fast.

"She has some big shoes to fill, but she is doing a phenomenal job at this stage of her career and she is heading in the right way toward some good things," Pennington said. "I wanted to be on the lead or at least be clear because when she sees other horses, she can be very strong. So the thing for me was to get the lead or sit somewhere clear where she could relax. First time going long today, she was a little keen early, but she relaxed on the backside and finished strong.

"She just keeps getting better. Even breezing her in the morning you can see the improvement and how much more aggressive she is. She keeps heading the right way. The way she's going, she looks like she can do some special things. We'll see. First time going long you never know, but I knew if she was anything like her sister, she would handle it."  

Alma Rose rallied for second, 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Outofnothingatall . Devious Dame , the 1-2 favorite, finished sixth.

Vedareo, a Swilcan Stable homebred, paid $20.60 to win.

Video: Sorority S. (BT)