Vale Dori Wins Zenyatta in Stunning Upset
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Photo: BENOIT PHOTO
Vale Dori wins the Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita Park
It's not that Vale Dori wasn't capable of winning the $300,000 Zenyatta Stakes (G1) Sept. 30.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum's 6-year-old Asiatic Boy mare went on a tear in 2016 and 2017, when she scored five straight graded wins, including a victory in the 2017 Santa Margarita Stakes (G1).
But since her return from a layoff for her 2018 campaign, she hadn't looked the same—until Sunday at Santa Anita Park.
Off at 11-1 to seek her first victory of the year in the 1 1/16-mile Zenyatta, and up against commanding 1-9 favorite and Bob Baffert-trained stablemate Abel Tasman, Vale Dori found her form once again.
As her stablemate toiled at the back of the field and finished fifth, Vale Dori got a stalking trip behind Shenandoah Queen, took command midway through the second turn, and held off a late run from La Force to win by three-quarters of a length in a final time of 1:44.88 under jockey Joe Talamo.
"Bob said to try and get her out (of the gate), whether she's first or second, and just get her into a real smooth rhythm," Talamo said. "She was laying perfect, right off (Shenandoah Queen), and I had a lot of horse around the turn. I was just biding my time, just waiting for anyone to come before I let her loose, and when I did, she really took off very nicely.
"I really thought Abel Tasman was going to come running, but that's horse racing for you."
Abel Tasman and jockey Mike Smith's problems began at the gate. While Vale Dori broke alertly, Abel Tasman got out of the gate poorly and even as the first quarter went in :23.98, she wasn't in touch with the field, 10 lengths behind pacesetter Shenandoah Queen and five lengths behind the nearest horse, Fool's Paradise in fifth.
The six-time grade 1 winner advanced a bit in the backstretch, as Shenandoah Queen put up fractions of :48.02 and 1:12.35 through six furlongs, but it became clear in the second turn the favorite would not hit the board.
"I'm just really not sure what happened with her today," Smith said. "I'm kind of at a loss for words. The good thing is that she didn't get outrun. She didn't run period. For whatever reason she was lethargic loading and she was slow into stride and never wanted to pick it up."
Smith brought up an illness as a possible reason for Abel Tasman's poor performance. The Baffert-trained Mother Mother was scratched from the Sept. 29 Chandelier Stakes (G1) because she came down with a cough.
"There's a bit of a flu going around the backside with some of these horses, so hopefully it's not hitting her, but it certainly could have. She kind of made a middle move down the backside to get herself into some sort of position to maybe make a run, and I thought she could probably still win anyway. But then she just decided that was enough."
Shenandoah Queen held for third, 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Lemoona, who was followed by Abel Tasman and Fool's Paradise, to complete the order of finish. The result caused inflated show prices of $40.60, $14.60, and $26.60, because $432,344 was wagered on Abel Tasman in the pool.
"I'm about as shocked as everybody else, but they'll do that," Baffert said of Abel Tasman's effort. "(Vale Dori) had been working well, but she hadn't been getting away from the gate, and if she doesn't get away well, she doesn't run well.
"When I saw Abel break horrible like that, it looked like shades of Arrogate at Del Mar (in the grade 2 San Diego Handicap in 2017). ... That's not the Abel that we know. She's never run a bad one. ... My main concern is that Abel is OK and not getting sick on me."
Vale Dori began her season with a fifth-place finish in the May 6 Adoration Stakes (G3), where Shenandoah Queen finished second. Then came a fourth-place run in the June 2 Beholder Mile (G1), well behind La Force in second, a third place finish in the June 22 Santa Lucia Stakes, and a second-place finish in the Aug. 24 Tranquility Lake Stakes, 8 1/2 lengths behind Shenandoah Queen.
Vale Dori now has 10 wins from 21 starts and more than $1.3 million in earnings. She was bred in Argentina by Abolengo, out of the Halo Sunshine mare Valerina.