Valedictory Stakes (Grade 3)- $150.000 Purse
WO- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Half on the Dirt
December 3, 2023

On a wet and wild day at WO for the Valedictory Stakes, the stage was set for a winner that was out of this world. The slop would be a major obstacle for an otherwise evenly matched field, and doing it the best would be Uranus, for Threshold. The gelding had only three other off track starts, and with two of them being on a good track, most of them were not like this one. Last year, he have one race on sloppy ground, which as the FL Derby, where he was actually the post time favorite. That went poorly but was also in the distant past and with a different trainer. The Valedictory Stakes would be the first win for Uranus with Threshold, and it is the first win in the race for the trainer. Jockey J Stein is a two-time winner, having previously won in 2015. Congratulations to them! They splashed away to a winning time of 2:38.20, which cannot be compared to any previous editions. Let’s take a look at it now!

(1/4 Mile- :50.51)- Serving as the early leader in this twelve-furlong race will be Colombia, and the Night Rider Stables entry will have a length and a half lead around the opening turn and into the frontstretch for the first time. Apache Rise Again, the runner up in the KYD from Apache Warrior will stalk the leader in the spot and stalking him in third is the Fractious- trained Iron Mine. It’s a length and a half more to where we find our eventual winner from Threshold, Uranus, as he is content to ride it out in the middle of the field. Six Pillars (TwinTowersRacing) follows him, then trailing are Rebel Agenda (Night Rider Stables) and Our Sis (Mo Mentum Farm).

(3/4 Mile- 1:16.76)- Not much will change with our top two horses, as Colombia continues to lead the way while having Apache Rise Again follow him along. However, Iron Mine is less willing to hang with them and begins to lose some ground, so much so that Uranus is now making his way around him to his outside. Uranus still has around 4-5 lengths to make up at this point. Further back, Rebel Agenda has passed Six Pillars while Our Sis can see them all.

(Top of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- You wouldn’t ordinarily think that the backstretch trip on a race of this distance would decide the race, but the way Uranus ran at this point, I believe he won it right here. He would gradually cut into his deficit and did so while no one further back was too concerned with him. This allowed him to suddenly build a cushion of 3-4 lengths on everyone else and could now turn his attention on the two frontrunners, which were still Colombia and Apache Rise Again. Given that he had just made up so much ground, Threshold had to be smiling over the way it was shaping up. Once Uranus pulled up alongside Apache Rise Again, still at the top of the turn, it seemed to cue that one in to needing to pick it up a notch as well. Midway into the turn, Uranus had pulled a length in front, and there was nothing that Apache Rise Again could do about it. Rebel Agenda was coming, but because of the way Uranus opened up such a gap on him during the backstretch trip, it was a much bigger challenge for him. Colombia was getting leg weary, and the best of the rest at this point was Our Sis.

(Finish- 2:38.20)- In the stretch, all we had to do is watch Uranus run. He was not getting tired at all and was in good stride all of the way to the wire. Rebel Agenda was going to complete the exacta, but never posed a threat to the winner. Apache Rise Again was steady to the end for third, while Our Sis earns the fourth-place check with Colombia next. The final two, Iron Mine and Six Pillars were defeated by at least 20 lengths.

About The Winner- Uranus, trained by Threshold and ridden to victory by J Stein, is a four-year-old gelding by Neon Wolf, and is out of Prima Dona. He was bred by Smokey Stover in Florida as a first quarter two-year-old and was acquired by Threshold with a $47.500 in late May of this year. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his seventh in 26 starts, his third stake win and second graded win. His career earnings are now $781.910.

Track: Sloppy
Time: :50²  1:16³  2:10⁴  2:38¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 4 – 7 Paid 93.60
$1 Trifecta: 4 – 7 – 1 Paid 183.40

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES