Valiant Emilia earns BC Distaff ticket in Clasico Cesar del Rio

Valiant Emilia earns BC Distaff ticket in Clasico Cesar del

Rio

Stud Couet's Valiant Emilia broke through with her first career stakes

victory in Sunday's Group 3 Clasico Cesar Del Rio at Monterrico, and in the

process, the Peruvian mare earned a guaranteed berth in the Breeders' Cup

Distaff at Santa Anita.

Trained by Juan Suarez Villarroel and ridden by Alfredo Clemente, Valiant

Emilia sat a good trip in third early as two rivals argued the pace through

fractions of :24 2/5, :49 1/5 and 1:16 1/5. The daughter of Pegasus Wind

commenced her bid at around the mile mark in 1:43 1/5 and swept to the lead

turning into the stretch.

Then Shakita, who had beaten Valiant Emilia into third last time out here on

May 10, rallied and threw down a bold challenge. But Valiant Emilia gamely held

her at bay and edged away by 1 1/4 lengths, covering about 1 1/4 miles in 2:09

4/5.

Valiant Emilia's previous stakes credit was a third in the Premio Felipe

Pardo y Barreda at this track and trip in March. The daughter of the Fusaichi

Pegasus stallion Pegasus Wind, who now sports a career mark of 23-11-3-3, has

won four of six outings this term.

Bred by Haras La Qallana in Peru, Valiant Emilia is a half-sister to Group

2-placed I Am Spyng. They are out of the Aljabr mare Valiant Saint, who is a

half-sister to Peruvian Group 3 heroine and U.S. stakes winner Thundering

Emilia. Valiant Emilia's second dam, Peruvian Group 3 scorer Saint Emilia, is

herself a full sister to Peruvian champion miler Domingo.

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