The 71st Valedictory Stakes (G3) is Saturday, December 6 and that means the end of the long Woodbine season is close. In fact, the Valedictory used to be a cool, 1 3/4-mile marathon race that would be the closing-day feature, leading fans and horsepeople to celebrate the season on that day. (There was also a 1 5/8 mile starter allowance on closing day which often played havoc with jockeys at Greenwood who sometimes lost track of how many times around they went!).
Things have changed and the Valedictory is now a 1 1/2 mile race held the weekend before the final two days. And the late November/early December weather has not gotten any better over the years (the races were cancelled after the Valedictory in 2000 due to weather and track conditions). Bitter cold temperatures led to Woodbine cancelling races 2 through 7 on Dec. 4, the third day cancelled in the last month.
Assuming this weekend’s races are a ‘go’, the Valedictory is the 10th race (post time 5:42 p.m.) on Saturday and six of the nine entrants are trained by Kevin Attard, Mark Casse, or Martin Drexler, the top three trainers. The trio have also won eight of the last nine Valedictory Stakes. Casse has won seven Valedictory Stakes in total.
The most likely winner of this year’s Valedictory is JOKESTAR (#9) for owners Al and Bill Ulwelling and trainer Attard. It would be fitting for this four-year-old to win, since the Ulwellings got their start in Ontario racing through their 2018 and 2019 Valedictory winner PUMPKIN RUMBLE. Pumpkin Rumble, now living a peaceful, retired life with an adopter, was a favourite horse of jockey Eurico da Silva, who rode the gelding to those popular wins.
Jokestar left Woodbine last year after an 0-for-6 campaign (he was 5th in the King’s Plate). He took to the Oaklawn Park dirt this spring, winning two straight races, and he was third and fourth in a pair of stakes races at Prairie Meadows and Mountaineer. When the homebred son of Practical Joke returned to Ontario for the Nov. 8 Autumn Stakes (G3), he was a strong second behind Dresden Row.
The Ulwellings, just two wins away from 500 wins (not including partnerships), have four stakes wins this year at Woodbine, three with the year’s top three-year-old colt, Mansetti.
Attard will also start the lightly-raced ZABO, by Justify, who will be a pacesetter, and three-year-old HAMMERHEAD, a one-time winner.
The Casse barn has the Irish-bred six-year-old TOSEN WISH for Team Valor International, LLC and he comes off a win at 1 3/8 miles on the grass. Tosen Wish has won twice on Tapeta.
Drexler won the Valedictory with longshot Wentru in 2022 in a dead heat with the Casse-trained Who’s the Star. This year, Drexler has Durham Cup (G3) winner COOL KISS in the field as well as recent claim JUNIPERO SERRA.
Completing the Valedictory field are invaders PASSING GAME, a $500,000 yearling purchase three years ago, but claimed twice for $50,000 this year. Passing Game was recently second in a $150,000 stakes race at Fair Hill at two miles on the grass for trainer Richard Hendriks. Another invader is EFF THIRTY FIVE, a Yoshida gelding with six wins in 17 races for trainer Brittany Russell. Also stabled at Fair Hill, Eff Thirty Five is unbeaten in two races on synthetic.
And Northern Dawn Stables and Indy Racing’s LOST ARK, by Violence, completes the field and he is a stakes winner at 10 furlongs in New York and recently fifth after a premature move in the Autumn Stakes.
More News
