Surge Capacity Gets Up Late in Valley View
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Photo: Coady Photography/Renee Torbit
Surge Capacity wins the Valley View Stakes at Keeneland
Looking like she may get up for third at best at the eighth pole, Surge Capacity showed the Keeneland fans defeat was simply not an option, roaring up the inside fence late to nab the victory at the wire in the Oct. 27 $299,375 Valley View Stakes (G3T).
A homebred for Klaravich Stables, Surge Capacity, a debut winner as late as June of this year, notched her second graded stakes win Friday afternoon in one of the last straight 3-year-old filly contests of the year.
Under a snug hold from jockey Joel Rosario, Surge Capacity tracked in third position along the inside rail as longshot Yesternight led the field through lively opening splits of :22.90 and :47.74. As the field turned for home, Heavenly Sunday drove to a narrow advantage over Bling and Safeen while Surge Capacity was forced to steady sharply when swallowed up by traffic at the quarter-pole.
Showing no quit down the lane, Surge Capacity darted past her rivals late to post a three-quarter length score in a final time of 1:35.80 for the mile over a turf course rated as "firm" after a morning of periodic rainfall. The daughter of Flintshire returned $12.16 for a $2 win ticket.
Heavenly Sunday and Bling completed the trifecta. Favored Sacred Wish , also impeded by traffic, rallied strongly to finish a neck behind Bling in fourth.
What They Said
Rosario: "Turning for home, I was trying to continue in my spot, and those two horses kind of blocked me in and left me on the inside a little longer. But she proved she was the best horse and Chad Brown is an excellent trainer. She's a fighter all the time, a really tough horse, and she likes to run."
First Timer
There aren't many turf stakes races at Keeneland Chad Brown hasn't won, but Surge Capacity handed the Eclipse Award-winning trainer his first ever Valley View title on Friday.
Sales Time
Surge Capacity's dam, the Warrior's Reward mare Strong Incentive , will go through the ring as Hip 264 at the Nov. 7 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. In addition to Surge Capacity, Strong Incentive is the dam of grade 3 winner Highly Motivated and the promising 2-year-old filly Ways and Means , runner-up in the Sept. 3 Spinaway Stakes (G1).
Back to Sprinting, Youalmosthadme Airs Field in Myrtlewood
After finishing a distant second to V V's Dream last time out traveling a mile in the Pocahontas Stakes (G3), Youalmosthadme was rerouted to six furlongs and responded with a commanding score in the $198,750 Myrtlewood Stakes for juvenile fillies.
Youalmosthadme romps home in the Myrtlewood Stakes
Prompting the pace in second throughout, Youalmosthadme took over from the pacesetting Field Lass at the top of the stretch and galloped home a facile seven-length winner under jockey Tyler Gaffalione.
Trained by Brad Cox, Youalmosthadme ($5.86) stopped the timer in 1:10.67 on a fast main track.
Hot Beach , third in the Pocahontas, was runner-up by 1 1/2 lengths over Fibber in third.
The daughter of Oxbow is owned by Qatar Racing, Swinbank Stables, Steve Adkisson, and Black Type Thoroughbreds. She collected her second stakes win, having defeated males earlier in the year in the May 4 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Saturday's card is the final day of the Keeneland fall meet and is headlined by the $350,000 Fayette Stakes (G2).
Video: Bank of America Valley View S. (G3T)