While a full report on Valkyrie horses heading into the new year is coming in January, this article will help you get to know both the new juveniles and the new additions to the Valkyrie string!

JUVENILES

Bootlegger, c, Speak Easy--Happenstance, by Fairly Frank (CR)
A big, bold, exciting colt from the freshman crop of of Speak Easy, this colt is from a lightly-raced line of horses. His only siblings to race is G1 HOTY contender Hurricane, a gelding who looks to be sitting on a big, late-blooming year himself. Bootlegger's sire may have been from unknown lines, but he made a splash on the track all the same. The big black colt earned Dirt Horse of the Year and Best Dirt Male awards in Y16, and snagged massive wins in the Just A Trot Futurity** at two, the Kentucky Derby at three, and the Breeders' Cup Classic at four. Speak Easy won a total of 16 HOTY races over the course of his career. The dam, Happenstance, never raced. Bootlegger is a lovely little cross of unknown lines, and we're very much looking forward to seeing what kind of legacy he can begin building for his sire.

Devil's Trill, f, Demonic Desires--Melodious, by War Child
A filly that was planned two years before she was even born, this blueblooded SOPS-bred child is everything we could have hoped for. Devil's Trill is a lovely blend of Hall of Fame legacy and old lines. The sire, Demonic Desires, won the Turquoise Sprint (TTSC), the Speedway Stakes (TTSC), and two editions of the Breeders' Cup. He has two foals so far to race in the new 4yo Demon Prince, himself the winner of the Highway Stakes (TTSC), and the 3yo Cross Fire, who was a juvenile HOTY winner. Devil's Trill will be the first foal to race of the career HOTY runner Melodious.

Djembe, c, Bold Musician--Sierra Leone (CR), by Unknown
Djembe is all Valkyrie through and through, and is surprisingly well connected to recent runners despite what the pedigree shows on its face. Bold Musician raced only a handful of times and did not fair well. However, he is half to Y19 Best 2yo Colt Stradivarius, the gelding that took the scene by storm. This makes Bold Musician the only available relative to Stradivarius, and Djembe therefore a very exciting new branch of the line. Exciting enough on its own, Sierra Leone is the dam of Castle Siege, making Djembe a half to the Valkyrie foundation mare. This makes him half to the dam of such horses as Belmont Turf Classic (TTC) winner Laddie Luck and top juvenile turf contender Palace Of Fire. He truly is a legacy horse that we're very excited to run!

Elemental, c, Mercurial Magic--Greater Avalanche, by Mount Machiador (CR)
As seems to be the theme with this particular Valkyrie crop, Elemental is another blend of foundation-lined horses. Mercurial Magic ran to grade three status before retiring to the breeding shed. He started late in his two-year-old year, so ran quite respectably in two career seasons of racing. He has already sired a number of foals to race, including juvenile HOTY winner Blue Jean Boy, 3yo HOTY winner Mercurial Queen, and Tick Tock Sprint (TSC) winner Sunrise Spell. Greater Avalanche, while having less foals on the track, has also made a splash with her first runner. Her colt, Mudslide, has been an active HOTY runner and won The Wire Green Mile last year. We can only hope that she will produce as well over dirt as she has over turf!

Dominion Jewel, f, All For Glory--Dazzling Dame, by Jessie James
This filly is the final foal of All For Glory, and we couldn't have hoped for a better match when we first planned the mating. All For Glory has been a wonderful foundation horse for the farm at stud, siring such horses as G1 Ode To Glory (sire of juvenile HOTY winner Wild Sonata), G1 Dirty Diana (dam of Riot Act), HOTY winner Truth Teller, and Usotsuki. The dam, Dazzling Dame, was a Breeders' Cup Turf Marathon winner and top HOTY runner during her last year of racing. Not to be outdone, she is the dam of Hall of Famer Eternally Smoldering, as well as good juvenile runner Victorina and lightly raced filly Divination. This pretty filly may not be quite as violent as her dam, but she's not far off - and hopefully she'll be just as exciting on the track.

Helen's Folly, f, Spartan Heat--Santana's Legend, by Black Legend
Helen's Folly is an honest cross between unknown lines and a rare-lined classic winner. Spartan Heat never really raced himself. He has one foal so far to race, the 6yo late-starting Desert Sun, who is poised to enter a HOTY-level season this year. He also has another juvenile, Sunlit Manhattan, ready to start her career as well. This is the first foal of Debutante Stakes (TTT) winner Santana's Legend. Santana's Legend only raced lightly after her 3yo year, but she still managed a total of 9 HOTY wins and reached G1 status. Santana's Legend is the more successful of a pair of twins sired by Black Legend, who died after his first season at stud. This filly is perfectly imperfect, and one of the farm favorites for this year.

Love and War, c, Casualty of War--Stalking The Stars, by Night Stalker
This colt is the much-anticipated first foal of Valkyrie favorite Stalking The Stars, who has one of the most prolific sire lines in the game. The mare herself was a late bloomer but very successful in HOTY company at five, winning five HOTY races that year. Because her sire line is so populated, she'll likely have few foals before she's retired, making this one even more special. Aside from being half to 10+ G1 winners through the sire, she's also one of only three foals out of the mare Shooting Star. The others are GS Royal Crown (G1 himself and sire of a number of HOTY foals) and Firefall, who was sadly underraced on the track but is poised for a good start in the breeding shed. Love and War's sire, not to be outdone, is also very successful and well-connected. Casualty of War was a career-long HOTY winner, winning the Queen's Plate (CTC) and finishing runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Turf Marathon twice. Love and War is his first foal to race. Casualty of War is half to Wonder Where Stakes (CTT) winner Roses Rampant, good sire Comeuppance, and Breeders' Cup Turf winner Devil's Flair.

Malarkey, c, Limited Edition--Shenanigans, by Bucephalus
This colt is the highly anticipated first foal of Valkyrie's first Hall of Famer, Shenanigans. Though we are being careful not to let expectations get too high given the unpredictable nature of these young horses, he's still quite the exciting prospect. Malarkey is co-owned with Stride of Perfection Stables, which is where he will stand upon retirement. Malarkey is by Hall of Famer Limited Edition, who is out of beloved Valkyrie mare Trust Limits. His racing highlights included the Preakness Stakes, the Belmont Stakes, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and the Dubai World Championship. His current foals to run are the HOTY competitor Ivonette and juvenile HOTY winner Cynosure. To reach Hall of Fame glory, Shenanigans won the Prince of Wales Stakes (CTC), Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and Breeders' Cup Distaff. She took home Horse of the Year honors in Y16. Malarkey will likely run primarily over dirt, though there is plenty of turf on his dam's side, as she is half to the champion turfer Abastor.

Manticore, c, Criosphinx--Feline Frenzy, by Unknown
A son of original Valkyrie create Criosphinx, this colt is the third foal to race for foundation mare Feline Frenzy. This is the first foal on the track for Criosphinx, who himself reached G1 and finished 3rd in both the Tick Tock Sprint (TSC) and the Speedway Stakes (TSC). The dam, Feline Frenzy, was a force on the track her final year of racing, culminating in a Breeders' Cup F&M Turf win. She has two foals currently on the track, the G1 HOTY winner Wildcat King and the late-blooming Ambush. Manticore is perfectly poised to fill the dirt sprinter position on the string, as well as prove Feline Frenzy to be a true dual-producing mare.

Minerva, c, Limited Bluez--Daughter of War, by Unknown
Yet another 'last' in this crop, this speedy filly is the last foal of Limited Bluez. With the sire being out of Trust Limits, Minerva is a cousin to Malarkey. Limited Bluez was had moderate success on the track, with his best finish coming 2nd in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Limited Bluez has foaled a number of foals that seem to be late-bloomers, including Y19 favorite Indigo Dream. His best foal to date is Dauntless, winner of the Starshine Sprint (TST). The dam, Daughter of War, was briefly raced under lease for Valkyrie colors, and this breeding draws her unknown lines back into the game. We're definitely hoping that the last foal of a proven stallion and the only foal of an unproven mare with be just the ticket!

Notte Oscura, c, Baciami--Eclipse, by Unknown
This colt is quite the cool little cross, mating an unproven stallion but proven pedigree with a proven mare with a foundation pedigree. Baciami has one foal on the ground that has been quite the tough starter as a juvenile, though we have full faith in her current ownership that she'll turn around eventually! Baciami is by Comeuppance, who also sired dual Breeders' Cup winner Lissome. His dam, Cute Italian, also produced good HOTY winner Italian Beauty and CTC champion Italian Ice. Eclipse, not to be outdone despite her lack of pedigree, is also the dam of top Valkyrie HOTY sprinter Blue Moon. While Baciami rarely raced at such short distances, he regularly finished well in HOTY mile races and Eclipse has certainly proven she will throw sprinters. And so, we are hoping that Notte Oscura will prove his sire to be very versatile indeed!

Sea Spray, c, Sea Siren--Spitterfly, by Sptiz
Sea Siren was an odd choice of stallion for a blue-blooded mare like Spitterfly, but when have we ever been conventional? Sea Siren was lightly raced and overall unsuccessful on the track. He has sired one other foal, Siren's Secret, who reached grade four in primarily undercards as a juvenile. The dam, Spitterfly, has a deep pedigree, as well as being a HOTY winner herself. She finished 2nd in the Daisy Stakes (TTST) and Butter Cup Sprint (TTST), as well as 3rd in the Breeders' Cup Mile. She has produced Gyrfalcon, who was a HOTY winner last year as a juvenile. She will also hopefully prove to be a very versatile broodmare!

Spellbound, f, Coincidence--Enchantress, by Unknown
This filly was left by the wayside by her original owner, but her breeding was so exciting that we couldn't just let her go! Enchantress hardly needs any introductions, though she comes from foundation lines. Enchantress is already dam to HOTY-winning G1 Aphrodite's Chant, winner of the Woodbine Oaks (CTT) Miss Magic, and Kentucky Derby winner Gallantry. Everything this mare has foaled is gold, and we're hoping the same for this filly. Her sire, Coincidence, is a winner of the Cigar Red Mile as well as a number of other HOTY races over his career. Spellbound is from his first crop.

Veritas, f, Coco Cabana--Trust Limits, by Unknown
With all of the Trust Limits that has made its way into this crop, it's only fitting that the mare herself have her last foal in the mix! Trust Limits has been a workhorse of a broodmare for the farm over the years, and has produced five G1 horses to date. Her best was, of course, the Hall of Famer Limited Edition, but she also produced Prideful Limits, Sweetness Unlimited, Super Derby (DSF) winner Wyvern, and Truly Limitless, who is likely headed into a big HOTY year. The sire, Coco Cabana, is out of the rarely bred but incredibly successful dam Fleet Goddess, which was what originally drew us to him before we bought him out of the sale. He himself was a G1 HOTY winner, and has produced one foal to race, Pray For Pegasus.


ACQUISITIONS

Italian Goddess, f, True Italian--Fleet Murderess, by Unknown
Filling our gap in the classic-age dirt miler department, this filly was purchased out of the New Year Sale. She had a perfectly respectable juvenile year, though she struggled to find the winner's circle for most of it. Talia is by True Italian, whose best foals came in the form of Hall of Famer The True Nut and Preakness Stakes winner and good producer Cute Italian. The dam, Fleet Murderess, has had a modest start as a broodmare, though her foals seem to be a late-blooming sort. She will begin prep for a run toward the Fillies Red Mile series.

Odd Tidal, f, Odd Number Out--Tidal, by Unknown
Probably our most exciting addition to the racing string, Odd Tidal is a filly we've been after for quite awhile! She seems to be just beginning to mature, and this year we're going to put her on the trail to the Fillies Green Mile series. Odd Tidal is by Odd Number Out, who was raced by Valkyrie for much of his career. He is also the sire of HOTY-winning juvenile Deceptive Darling, so he is off to a nice start at stud! The real story here, though, is that Odd Tidal is the only half-sibling to the superstar powerhouse Alethea. Alethea won nine HOTY races as a juvenile, and nabbed the Sacramento Oaks (TFDS) and Super Oaks (FDSF) at three. She's likely to continue getting better, and we're thrilled to have a sister to try to follow in her footsteps!

Secret Chance, c, Rulers Secret--Twista Luck, by Unknown
As is the trend, Secret Chance was purchased to fill yet another gap in our classic miler string, this time in the turf. Secret Chance has some fair experience in HOTY races, and will hopefully be able to capitalize on that in the coming year! Secret Chance is half to two Valkyrie horses in Secrets Garden and Bizarre Twist.