Eleven chase Grade 3 Valedictory glory
TORONTO, December 4, 2024 – Saturday’s Grade 3 $135,000 bet365 Valedictory Stakes at Woodbine has attracted 11 starters, including multiple graded stakes placed contenders Stanley House and Collective Force.
The 1 ½-mile main track test for 3-year-olds and up will mark the 17th career start for Stanley House, a son of Army Mule out of the Unbridled’s song mare Stormy’s Song.
Trained by Mike De Paulo for John and Diana Russell, the 4-year-old, who sports a 3-6-3 record and $346,127 (U.S.) in purse earnings, has reached the podium in all six starts on the year, going 1-3-2 over that span.
In his latest engagement, the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes on Nov. 16, the Ontario-bred finished third, 2 ¾ lengths behind winner Wicked Django, in the 1 1/8-mile main track event.
“He did what he always does and came with a big run,” said De Paulo. “Unfortunately, he caught blocked along the rail and when he finally got clear, he couldn’t catch the leaders. He’s had a lot of tough luck throughout his career. You always get the effort and you always know he will have that energetic finish, so it would be nice to see him get that first stakes win. He deserves it.”
Bred in Ontario by Elevage II, LLC and St. Elias Racing Stables, LLC, Stanley House was second in his debut in November 2022 and then produced another runner-up result one month later.
He broke his maiden at Gulfstream – in his fourth start – on March 25, 2023.
After a win that June at Woodbine, Stanley House finished sixth in the Plate Trial.
A month later he went postward in the 164th edition of The King’s Plate and finished third in the 1 ¼-mile race.
“We have never run him a mile and a half, but he ran in the Plate and handled that distance no problem,” said De Paulo. “He’s doing great heading into this, and we hope he can get that stakes win to close out the year.”
De Paulo heads into Thursday’s racing card three wins away from 1,000 for his career.
The multiple graded stakes winning conditioner would love to hit the milestone with his hard-knocking dark bay.
“We love this guy,” said De Paulo, of the $120,000 purchase at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Sale. “He’s been great for us from day one.
De Paulo’s son, Joseph, is the groom.
“Stanley House is class personified,” said Joseph. “He’s a kind, good-feeling horse, who runs his hardest every single race and loves every moment of it.”
Other starters include Collective Force, a homebred for Chiefswood Stables who finished second in last year’s Valedictory.
A 6-year-old son of Tiznow out of the Bernardini mare Finn’s Girl, Collective Force heads into Saturday’s engagement off a five-length romp at 1 1/8 miles over the Woodbine main track on Oct. 6.
“It all kind of came together at the right time,” said trainer Rachel Halden. “We felt good going into that race and he did what we thought he was capable of doing.
“He comes round in the fall. He has run his best races in the late fall and we are hoping for that same kind of effort this time.”
The multiple graded stakes placed gelding, who was third in the 2021 Valedictory and fifth in the 2022 running, is 2-4-4 from 24 career starts, accompanied by $250,311 (U.S.) in purse earnings.
Collective Force debuted with a ninth on June 13, 2021, but rebounded with a pair of seconds in his next two starts.
On Aug. 29, 2021, the bay broke his maiden courtesy of a 2 ¼-length triumph at 1 ¼ miles over the Toronto oval’s main track.
In preparation for Saturday's engagement, Collective Force breezed four furlongs in :48.80 on the dirt training track on Nov. 30.
Halden, who has already set a personal-best mark for yearly purse earnings, is hoping that the fourth time’s the charm for her veteran campaigner.
“He’s a hard-luck horse, but his forte seems to be going a route of ground, where he has run some extremely solid races. I would have liked to have had another race into him, but we didn’t want to shorten him up again. He’s been working very well and we’re very much looking forward to it.
“He does have a bit of a grumpy side to him, but when he’s tacked up and outside of his stall, he’s a completely different horse and very much enjoys his job.”
Jessica Almost is the groom.
Halden also sends out Roscar, another Chiefswood homebred.
The 3-year-old son of Oscar Performance out of the Court Vision mare Rosemere is 2-0-4 ($250,400 U.S. in purse earnings) from nine career starts.
Roscar won the $500,000 Breeders’ Stakes, third jewel in the Canadian Triple Crown, on Sept. 29.
“Obviously, he’s [Roscar] had a bit of a mixed up year, and we haven't been able to get into a smooth rhythm with him,” said Halden after the Breeders’ score. “And the [King’s] Plate was on the radar to begin with, but after the Queenston, then it kind of threw us off path a little bit, and then we had to wait, aim for this race. So, it's just great. It's so deserving for the owners, everybody involved. When you kind of give up the opportunity of other races to wait for this, when it works out, it's just really, really great.”
The bay gelding heads into the Valedictory off a pair of thirds, including the Grade 3 Ontario Derby on Oct. 19.
Steve Bahen is the groom.
In 2022, Wentru and Who’s the Star dead-heated for first in the Valedictory. Pumpkin Rumble won consecutive editions, in 2018 and 2019. Try On, ridden by Alf Bavington, won the first running of the race in 1952.
First post for Saturday is 1:10 p.m. Fans can wager on all the action through HPIbet.com and bet365.
Valedictory Stakes (Race 8)
Post – Horse – Jockey - Trainer
1 – Classic Mo Town – Eswan Flores – Martin Drexler
2 – Junipero Serra – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
3 – English Conqueror – Daisuke Fukumoto – Darwin Banach
4 – Get Smokin – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse
5 – Roscar – Austin Adams – Rachel Halden
6 – Stone Age (IRE) – David Moran – Pat Parente
7 – Dancin in Da’nile – Jose Campos – Gail Cox
8 – Loose Wire – Rafael Hernandez – Kevin Attard
9 – Collective Force – Ryan Munger – Rachel Halden
10 – Runaway Charlie – Keveh Nicholls – Harold Ladouceur
11 – Stanley House – Luis Contreras – Mike De Paulo
Chris Lomon, Woodbine
.jpg "Stanley House and jockey Jose Campos winning Race 7 on May 17, 2024 at Woodbine (Michael Burns Photo)")
