Valley View Stakes Predictions, Top Picks, Odds (Keeneland)

Valley View Stakes Odds and Post Position

Check out our predictions and odds for the 2022 Valley View Stakes at Keeneland!

Valley View Stakes Predictions and Best Bets

Here are my plays ($60 in total)

$3 Exacta Box - Majestic Glory, Dolce Zel, California Angel and Lady Puchi = $36

$4 Exacta Part Wheel - Majestic Glory over Dolce Zel, California Angel and Lady Puchi = $12

$4 Exacta Part Wheel - Dolce Zel, California Angel and Lady Puchi over Majestic Glory = $12

Top pick: Majestic Glory (4/1)

Trained by Chad Brown and bred in France, Dolce Zel headlines a deep field of 3-year-old turf fillies entered for Friday’s $300,000 Valley View Stakes at Keeneland.

Already a two-time graded stakes on the turf this year, the daughter of Zelzal will be in search of another in the Grade 3 affair.

Not worse than third in five graded stakes tries since coming to America, Dolce Zel won the Grade 3 Lake George at Saratoga two starts back.

Chief among her rivals in the 1 1/16-mile grass test will be the Todd Pletcher-trained Majestic Glory. Bred in England, the daughter of Frankel has made only one start so far in America.

A Group 3 winner in her native land last year, she was fourth, beaten only two lengths in the Grade 3 Pebbles in her U.S. debut last month.

Others who should command attention on Friday include the stakes winners California Angel and Sparkle Blue.

A daughter of California Chrome, California Angel was a Grade 2 winner over this turf course last season and comes in off a solid effort in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup only 13 days ago.

Meanwhile, Sparkle Blue comes from the barn of Graham Motion. She was a good second last out in the VIrginia Oaks and won a listed stakes race at Delaware Park before that.

Valley View Stakes Predictions and Race Analysis

Dolce Zel

The likely favorite has been nothing but solid since arriving in America. A winner of the Grade 3 Florida Oaks in her U.S. debut in March, the Zelzal filly came to Keeneland next where she was a solid runner-up to the classy Spendarella in the Grade 2 Appalachian.

Following a disappointing third-place finish in the Grade 2 Edgewood at Churchill Downs, the Chad Brown-trained runner returned to her winning ways with a determined victory in the Grade 3 Lake George at Saratoga.

Last out she was a good third against strong fillies at Saratoga in the Grade 2 Lake Placid. A deserving favorite on Friday, she is the one they will all have to beat.

Majestic Glory

A Group 3 winner in England last year, this Frankel filly will be making her second start for her new barn. Transferred to top trainer Todd Pletcher, she turned in a solid effort in her American debut when running fourth in the Grade 3 Pebbles at Aqueduct.

Beaten only two lengths in that one, the runner-up Gina Romantica has since come to Keeneland to score in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup. A similar run here puts her in with a big shot, and if she can improve for her second start in the U.S. she will be very tough to beat.

She has consistently run against good horses in her career and should fit right in with this group. She is the top pick.

California Angel

This daughter of California Chrome won the Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland last fall, before competing in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. After a pair of failed efforts in stakes races on the dirt, she came back with three solid performances on the turf.

Clearly at home on the green, it looks like just a matter of time before she breaks through again. Her last was her best yet, and she comes back on short rest after finishing just two lengths fourth in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.

The top two look tough, but this filly should not be underestimated as she looks for her second graded stakes win on the Keeneland lawn.

Sparkle Blue

Trained by Graham Motion, who has won the Valley View three times, this daughter of Hard Spun comes in off a career best effort. Sent off as a 31/1 longshot, she stayed on well to finish second in a 14-horse field in the Virginia Oaks.

It was only her second start of the year, after having won a minor stakes race at Delaware in her return. At 2, she won both a maiden and an allowance, while finishing out of the money in her only two stakes appearances.

If she can improve upon her first two races of the season, she rates a real threat in here, but I remained unconvinced she can beat this class of filly as one of the favorites.

Lady Puchi

This busy daughter of Into Mischief dropped into allowance company last time and responded with a nice rallying win over the Keeneland turf course for trainer Kenny McPeek.

It was a breakthrough win after five straight losses, but she had consistently run well against solid competition during that stretch. While she doesn’t have the stakes victory yet that many in this field do, she has run plenty of good races and seems best when she can come from off the pace.

With speed in here to set the table for her rally, and a recent win over the course, she is one that I will use in the exotics at a square price.

Oakhurst

This daughter of Mr Speaker was a good looking allowance winner at Keeneland in April and followed that up with a solid second-place run in the Wild Applause Stakes at Belmont in June.

Not embarrassed against strong fillies in the $700,000 Saratoga Oaks next out, the Michelle Nevin-trained filly unfortunately threw in a real clunker last time when finishing well back in the Virginia Oaks at Colonial Downs.

It was not a good performance, but if you can draw a line through it, the previous three efforts put her in with a shot here. She is certainly one to consider

Turnerloose

The first of two trained by Brad Cox, this experienced daughter of Nyquist is a stakes winner on both turf and dirt. One of many with some early speed, she has not won in her last five outings, but has kept good company throughout her ten-race career.

Since finishing in mid-pack in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in May, she has been a little disappointing in her last three.

Having said that, she is still not far off and can make her presence known on Friday if she can fire her best shot. She is a longshot worth a look to include in your exotics.

Bubble Rock

In a race with plenty of speed, this second of two from the Cox barn might have the most early speed. A Grade 3 winner while sprinting on the turf last year, she has proven herself versatile, able to turn in good efforts on any surface.

Like California Angel and Turnerloose, she had no luck in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, and in fact had a horrid trip. A winner of one of four this year, her only victory came in a minor stakes on Turfway Park’s all-weather track.

After a few months away, she returned last month to run evenly in a sprint stakes at Kentucky Downs. If she can improve upon that effort, she is a threat here, but hasn’t quite shown enough this year to confidently back.

My Philly Twirl

This daughter of Hard Spun won three straight on the grass at Gulfstream Park to begin 2022. The listed stakes winner moved up in class for the Edgewood at Churchill Downs and faded pretty badly.

After a freshening, she returned to win an allowance on the all-weather track at Presque Isle Downs last out.

The return win was a good sign, but she’ll need to prove she can run with this class of filly on Friday. One of several here with early foot, she’s not out of it, but I do like others better in this spot.

Frippet

Trained by Jonathan Thomas, this Ghostzapper filly has a first and a second in two starts on the turf. The first came at Keeneland when she set the pace in a maiden race and held for second. The next one came last month when she stalked and pounced in an allowance race at the Meadowlands.

She has good tactical speed, likes the turf and still could improve, but this is a big step up in class. For that reason, I will pass on her here, but it would not shock me if she was competitive.

Bicameral

Based in Southern California, this Constitution filly did not seem to be a stakes filly in her first seven career starts on the dirt. She did win a maiden race for fun on the main track, but was a long way last in her only stakes try on dirt. Perhaps grass will be her surface, though.

Switched to the turf for a Del Mar allowance last out, she stalked the lead and was a good looking winner going a flat mile. It was clearly her best race yet and gives hope for a future on grass.

Still, though, this is a solid bump up in class and probably a bit more than she is ready for. She will likely be a part of the early pace, but I don’t love her chances to be there late.

Heavenly Hellos

This daughter of Overanalyze earned a stakes victory three starts back as a big longshot at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Since that surprise in a listed stake, she has beaten only one horse in her last two outings.

They both came against better horses than what she upset in Indiana. I see very little reason to expect her to do much against this deep field.

Diamond Wow (AE)

Is on the also eligible list and will only get into the race with scratches. If she does draw in, she is not without hope, Her best career race came last fall over the Keeneland turf when she rallied and just missed by a head to California Angel.

She has only run three times since without much success. All three came at Gulfstream Park, but only one of them was on the turf. She would be a deserving longshot, but I do believe her future is on the grass.

Sunroof (AE)

Is on the also eligible list and will only get into the race with a scratch. If she does draw in, it looks like she would be a serious outsider. Still a maiden, I find her impossible to recommend against this deep graded stakes field.

How to Watch the Valley View Stakes