Prince Valiant skips over the mud en route to victory in Sunday’s NYSS Times Square. Coglianese Photo.
Red Oak Stable’s Prince Valiant kept it simple and maintained his winning ways with a front-running victory in Sunday’s $194,000 Times Square division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes at Aqueduct.
The 3-year-old won his first stakes and also became the second stakes winner for his sire King for a Day, a son of Uncle Mo who stands for $5,000 at Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions LLC in Stillwater. King for a Day’s first stakes winner – Soontobeking, who took the March 8 Gander at Aqueduct – finished second in Sunday’s Times Square.
Dylan Davis rode Prince Valiant for trainer Todd Pletcher, scoring by 3 1/2 lengths in the 6 1/2-furlong restricted stakes.
“He’s a really cool little horse,” said Pletcher’s assistant Stu Hampson. “Both in his works in the mornings and in the afternoons, he just seems to keep progressing and getting a little bit better every time. His last two months, his works have steadily improved, and his efforts in the afternoons have also.
“It’s a pleasure to have a horse like this for Red Oak and it’s nice when what we see in the mornings adds up to good performances in the afternoon.”
Bred by Sugar Maple Farm and the second foal out of the D’Funnybone mare Lizzy’s Fun, Prince Valiant sold to Red Oak Farm for $50,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale.
Unraced at 2, Prince Valiant finished third in his debut behind eventual stakes winner and Grade 3-placed Sand Devil in early December. He rattled off back-to-back victories by a neck in a January 11 maiden and February 23 allowance-optional before making his stakes debut Sunday.
Sent off the narrow 7-5 second choice behind the 6-5 National Identity, Prince Valiant went to the front from the start and controlled the terms by a length over Soontobeking through the opening quarter in :22.67 over the muddy and sealed track.
“I saw us as main speed. Just didn’t really know about the break,” Davis said. “He broke well with me, was able to get to the lead comfortably and he was doing it well. He drifted out a little bit down the backside, but I was able to straighten him up into the turn, and then he just started getting on.”
Prince Valiant stayed up by 1 1/2 lengths over Soontobeking through the half in :46.28 and turned for home with a widening advantage. Davis stayed busy in the stretch and Prince Valiant opened up by 2 lengths at the eight pole. Soontobeking maintained his spot in second and finished 5 1/2 lengths clear of National Identity. Huggy and In the Chase completed the field. Prince Valiant won in 1:16.73.
“I knew he was a fighter so if anyone were to challenge him late, he’d fight on again for me,” Davis said.
Prince Valiant earned $110,000 for the win to boost his bankroll to $201,500.
“He’s naturally finding himself on the front end of races and he’s doing it that way, but he’s such a fighter,” Hampson said. “Any time a horse eyeballs him, he just wants to put his head back in front. As he’s matured, he’s relaxed a little bit and depending on what we do with him, that could reflect in the afternoons as well. He’s running great, so we’re just trying to stay out of his way.”
Lizzy’s Fun is also the dam of the 3-year-old Tonalist colt Rafa’s Dream, who sold for $57,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. He made five starts last season in Puerto Rico. She’s also the dam of two other New York-breds – a 2-year-old filly by leading New York sire Central Banker and a filly by Mind Control born February 7.
