Sparkling Review Aces Pin Oak Valley View
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Beverly Anderson and Edward Seltzer's Sparkling Review continued her climb through conditions in solid fashion Oct. 17, winning the $150,000 Pin Oak Valley View (gr. IIIT) at Keeneland in her stakes debut .
The 3-year-old daughter of Lemon Drop Kid came grinding down the center of a turf course labeled good to pass longshot front-runner Spring Included in the final sixteenth, becoming the first graded stakes winner saddled by trainer Ben Colebrook. A Lexington native, Colebrook is a University of Kentucky graduate and a former assistant to Christophe Clement who has sent out 21 winners so far, dating back to his first victory in October 2013.
"I could see she was going better than everybody else," Colebrook said. "I didn't think they were going to catch her today. We were really excited."
Julien Leparoux was aboard Sparkling Review for her 2 3/4-length victory over 11 other 3-year-old fillies at odds of 7-1.
Sparkling Review came in off two straight victories—in a Sept. 6 allowance at Kentucky Downs, and in an Aug. 9 maiden special weight at Arlington International Racecourse, where she secured her first win at second asking by 2 1/4 lengths.
"The main thing is I wanted her to break good and to save as much ground as possible," Leparoux said of Sparkling Review's Valley View win. "She was much the best. She was relaxed for me on the backside and when I asked her, she flew home."
Spring Included, at 31-1, headed out to the early lead for fractions of :23.64 and :48.49 while Sparkling Review was toward the back of the 12-horse field. The pacesetter looked to carry on as the field turned for home after completing six furlongs in 1:13.60, but Sparkling Review was looming with a late closing run. She passed Spring Included under left-handed urging as a mile went in 1:37.45 and sailed clear with Leparoux putting away his stick in the final sixteenth.
The final time for the 1 1/16-mile contest was 1:44.34.
"I was surprised she won that easy but I wasn't surprised she won; she's been training like a good filly," Colebrook said. "She won with something left in the tank last time and she's showed that she could be that kind of filly. Today that was a good bunch she beat, and beat them fairly easily."
Sparkling Review returned $16.80, $9.40, and $6.80 while Spring Included paid $26.60 and $13.80. Goldy Espony, three-quarters of a length farther back, brought $4.60 to show. She was followed home by Fashion Fund, V V Goodnight, Annulment, Stellaris, favored Miss Frost, A Little Bit Sassy, Rosalind, Valseuse, and Size.
Daring Dancer, Share the Sugar, Sumba Sunset, and Token of Love scratched.
Bred in Kentucky by Seltzer out of the Pleasant Tap mare Pleasant Review, Sparkling Review improved her record to three wins from four starts with earnings of $169,475.