Classic season is finally upon us, and we at Valkyrie Stud would like to put out a report on how our three-year-olds are looking going into it. While some are in prime form, others are still finding their sea legs, and you get to see all of them! Their records given are for this season only.


CELESTIAL SWORD
5-1-2-1

While it can't really be said that Max is following in his brother Laddie Luck's footsteps, that doesn't mean he's useless by any means. Max has hit a bit of a rough patch since returning to Valkyrie from Montgomery Acres, but he's always been a workhorse and continues to chug along consistently and determinedly. While he may not mature until he's an older horse, we've gone a step further and have recently gelded the colt to try and help him focus a bit more. He hasn't finished out of the money since his first race of the year, most recently finishing 3rd in the Next Move Stakes at BSD. It does seem that foals by his sire are later to mature, as his 2yo half-sister Cosmic Queen is still hunting for her maiden win. Be that as it may, Max showed great potential at two and we're helping him to regain his footing once more.



DEVIL YOU KNOW
6-1-3-2

While wins haven't been forthcoming for the filly in her blossoming career, she's become incredibly consistent this year, much in the way of many Dark Charmer foals. Slow and steady, chugging away race after race and maintaining the will to stay in the top three while she grows into her body. The talent is there, the will is there, she just needs to mature into herself. While this filly isn't entered in the July sale, please remember that she is running through PRS and we're always open to offers for her! This filly's a half to a number of good runners through her sire and the stallion Chiquato through her dam. She's got fairly rare lines, and would make a great project for anyone willing to spend the time on her. Until them, she'll keep working her way through the ranks with us.



EARTHLY WITCH
7-1-3-2

Gorgeous as ever, Era's been hard-knocking with some of the best of her crop, colts and fillies alike, in preparation for her eventual run in the Canadian Triple Tiara. A distance specialist at two, Era has found her sea-legs in quicker competition, and has been doing well over both surfaces. While she has only staked a win in the Davona Dale, she's perfectly on track for her triple run after the first crowns of the year. She'll likely run next in the concurrent triple filly races at BSD. Earthly Witch has always been a special filly, being only daughter of champion producer and dam of sires Native Harlot. She's done her mother proud in an unconventional juvenile campaign, and she's got so much more left to do. Native Harlot is also the dam of Proletariat, who is establishing himself as a top dirt router this year. Era last ran third in the Kentucky Oaks*.



EXOTIC DANCER
5-2-1-0

Beautifully bred, Zoey has been consistently... inconsistent. She's got grade one classic winners on both sides of a young pedigree, but Zoey herself has always been a bit lost, and it's taken the staff a long time to figure out what makes her tick. We're hoping that the addition of blinkers to her equipment will help her focus in a race, and just based on her reaction in company in works, it's going to be an improvement. She'll make her first start with the change in Week Four in the River Ride Stakes. With two wins and a second on the year, even if she is a bit inconsistent, she's showing that plethora of talent that drew us to her in the first place.



GLADIATOR
8-3-3-1

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the season for the team, Gladiator was an impulse buy in the Y18 New Years Sale and he's been worth every penny. The colt was about as vanilla as they come, with only a single HOTY run his 2yo year, but after making a splash in the undercards this year, we've decided to take the plunge and aim him for the Turf Triple Sprinter Crown. He ran his first prep Week 3, finishing fourth of five, but we've really got a good feeling about this colt. He might not be a favorite, but we're committed to this course of action and he's going to be a dark horse at the very least going into the series. With his first HOTY race of the year behind him, we're really excited to see how he'll improve!



MAN O'GLORY
6-3-2-0

Another undercard superstar pick up this year, Lou's likely going to spend the year preparing for a run in the distance series at the end of the season - and he's off to a pretty good start. While he's perhaps got even more catch up to do than Gladiator, he's shown incredible promise and we've no doubt he's going to be ready. Lou is arguably the best child of either of his parents, with his sire still having young foals on the ground and his dam having only a couple of foals. He finished first last out, and will run next in an undercard at BSD. When the triples start, we'll start bolstering him in smaller HOTYs to prep him for later in the year.



NIGHT TERROR
6-2-1-1

Easily the most frustrating 3yo on the roster, Niles seems completely belligerent in the winning department. He's furiously well bred, but also just... furious, in general. He doesn't seem to care that he's a half to Nightshade and that he should be doing something with himself. He doesn't care that his half-brother Black Thriller was gearing up for a sweep of the triple crown at his age. No, Niles simply wants too drink all night and sleep all day and has an actual allergy to big wins. Well, joke's on him, because we're not giving up. We've committed to taking our time with him, and while we're tentatively aiming him for the dirt distance series at the end of the year, if she wants to wait until four to mature and do something with himself, then so be it.



PASSIONIST
7-3-3-1

Yet another horse that might want to do something with himself, Passionist may make a surprise run at the later legs of the Turf Triply Crown. Half brother to the exceptional Flawed Princess, Passionist's breeding insinuates he's going to get better with age - except, given the way he's been running, he might be ready to take a step up now. He won his last race, and he's looking to step up Week 4 in the Ringo Stakes* at BSD - to prep him, hopefully, for a longshot run in the Preakness Champion Stakes* and/or the Belmont Turf Classic*. Another horse snagged from the New Years Sale, Passionist has been a dream as a project, and he's been working like an absolute rockstar all year.



SHADOWFAX
7-1-3-3

Picked up in the New Years Sale (seeing a trend for this crop yet?), Shadowfax is a really nice horse in that he's got no expectations. He's going to be an incredibly valuable stallion for us someday, so until then he's getting to go at his own pace. And so far, that pace is perfectly comfortable. He's been very consistent, and while he's not making big waves, he's generally a bright spot on the card.



THE BLUE ALIEN
4-0-1-0

In reality, we're not really sure what to do with this colt reclaimed from Montgomery Acres. He's not badly bred, despite being out of a created mare - he's a half to the good sprinter Dauntless, and while he's been inconsistent, he's got a lot of potential. He's entered in the July sale, and hopefully he'll go on to a good home that can help him find his potential - but if he doesn't? Well, he'll stay with us, and it's 50-50 whether or not he'll be gelded since we can always use more dirt sprinter stallions. He'll make his first start under Valkyrie violet Week 4.



THE GOOD FIGHT
5-3-1-1

By and large the star of our 3yo crop, The Good Fight has lived up to his stellar breeding and has to be considered one of the front runners in the Triple Sprinter Crown this year. He's won three major races in the Diamond Sprint*, Bayshore Derby*, and Motion Sprint*, and is continuing his hunt in the Swale next out. On his dam's side, Fig is most notably related to classic-winning mare Game Over. Aside from his half-sister Sweet On You on his sire's side, his other siblings have all been slow starters - however, Popcorn Blitz's foals have started picking up speed in the younger generations, and we're incredibly excited to see what he'll do later this year.



TRUE SUNRISE
2-2-0-0

After a freshening at Montgomery Acres before being reclaimed back to our barn, True Sunrise has surprisingly gotten himself out to a good start, winning both of his starts in March. It was a hard decision to decide whether to send True Sunrise or Gladiator toward the TTSC, but in the end Gladiator's more consistent resume this year put him at the top of the list. True will still pick up the odd HOTY if we can get him into it, but other than that his focus this year will be to prep him for a campaign next year, be it with us or someone else after the NY sale.



WINGED PASSION
2-0-1-1

The last of the 3yos picked up from MA after their dispersal, Winged Passion is actually a very well-bred filly. While out of a created mare, she's by the wildly successful sire Impassioned Wind. She was pretty inconsistent as a 2yo, and hasn't seen much of the track at three, but we're hoping to remedy that. It remains to be seen whether or not she'll stay with us for the rest of her career, but she'll at least be with us until she's back on her feet.



So there you have it! We may have a lot of question marks for the rest of the season, but if we know anything, it's that horses often surprise you.