Post by Kenren on Aug 28, 2016 20:09:23 GMT -5
After a year of heartbreak in the sprinting crowns Y15, with the three-race runner-up Phantasm Frost leading the charge, Valkyrie has found some redemption this year with their Flying Colours colt Optical Illusion. Purchased as a yearling from Star Thoroughbreds, there was always something special about the grey colt that drew Valkyrie. As far as pedigree, the colt has it all - he is half to grade one and champion sprinters Seraphim, Forbidden To Fly, Crowned Queen, and Once Upon A Dream. As a juvenile, he lived up to the hype. He left his two-year-old season with seven wins, six of them in HOTY company, and a second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. At three, he had a lighter schedule than some, but that obviously hasn't hurt this colt when it matters most. A winner of the Boys Festival and another HOTY race leading into the series, Valkyrie was elated when the colt nabbed the Turquoise Sprint. They know he's up against the best sprinters around, and take nothing for granted. Seeing him storm home in the Highway Stakes? It is balm to soothe every near-miss the year before. Optical Illusion has, in two races, brought back the confidence and pride in their horses that Valkyrie has been missing at times this year. Will he take the third leg? It's hard saying at this point, but the colt has come out of his second trial in good form and will be ready and willing when the time comes. |
