Susie Raisher Photo

Valuation Metric well-measured to win $150K Awad

by Mary Eddy

Klaravich Stables’ Valuation Metric graduated in style with a rallying trip engineered by Flavien Prat in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Awad, a 1 1/16-mile outer turf route for juveniles, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the son of Munnings improved from a second last out in a September 14 maiden going this distance over the Big A’s inner turf. His other outing was a debut fourth in August at Saratoga Race Course.

Brown said he was pleased to see the talented dark bay work out the off-the-pace trip under expert guidance from Prat.

"I wasn't loving the trip midway through the race as he got shuffled back. On turf, I hate losing position once you establish it,” Brown explained. “Flavien told me post-race he felt they were going a little quick early and he'd rather take a little bit of a hold and let them go a bit which proved to be the right move.

"As we've often seen from start to finish this year, Flavien had the pace measured right and he wasn't nearly as concerned as I was,” Brown added.

Valuation Metric was away evenly from post 4-of-8 and settled in mid-pack as McDiesel established forward position on the rail through the first turn to mark an opening quarter-mile in 23.39 seconds over the firm footing with Fully Authorized tracking a close second.

"The plan was to go forward, but I guess everyone had the same plan,” Prat explained. “Going into the first turn, I just couldn't keep up the pace. So I gave him a chance, then they backed down quite a bit. I was able to get myself a little closer and he made a good run after that."

McDiesel maintained his lead down the backstretch and through the half-mile in 48.58 with Valuation Metric sitting patiently in sixth. Ruben Silvera asked McDiesel for more approaching the final turn as Fully Authorized loomed on his outside and the pair of Flamingproposition and Aviator Gui ranged up to make it four across the racetrack after three-quarters in 1:14.53.

By the stretch call, Fully Authorized faded and a stubborn McDiesel clung to a precarious lead with the rail open for Tiz Dashing to kick into gear and close with giant strides while Aviator Gui and Flamingproposition spun their wheels. With a wall of foes ahead of him, Prat opted to angle Valuation Metric around his rivals, as did Dylan Davis aboard the rallying Concord Green to make it six horses across the track inside the eighth pole.

"He went wide, but honestly we were sprinting,” Prat said. “At that point, he never showed a very good turn of foot [before], he is a bit of a grinder, so at that point, I just wanted to get him going."

Tiz Dashing kicked on in the final sixteenth under Hall of Famer John Velazquez to edge clear of McDiesel, but Valuation Metric was rolling down the center of the course and got up in time to collar his rival by a head in a final time of 1:43.71.

Concord Green ran on well one length back in third with Aviator Gui completing the superfecta. McDiesel, Surfside Moon, Flamingproposition and Fully Authorized completed the order of finish.

Brown said Valuation Metric showed a new dimension when digging in for the finish.

"I was pleasantly surprised by the way the horse kicked,” Brown said. “I was fearful as I worked with the horse more this summer that he was a little bit one-paced and a bit of a grinder, but today he really kicked - especially when he felt the horse to his outside coming at him. He really beared down and showed more turn of foot than I've seen to this point, so it gives me some optimism and hope I can really develop this horse to a higher class level down the road.”

Brown added Valuation Metric could be a rising star for Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables.

"He has the makings of a potentially really nice 3-year-old and with added distance as well,” Brown said. “I'll talk to Seth about it, but in all likelihood this horse could end up in Florida sooner than later pointing to some higher-level spots next spring."

Bred in Kentucky by Sandra Sexton, Valuation Metric was a $185,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the winning Medaglia d’Oro mare Sonoma d’Oro, making him a half-brother to the graded stakes-placed Crevalle d’Oro. He banked $82,500 in victory while returning $7.70 on a $2 win ticket.

Velazquez said the Barclay Tagg-trained Tiz Dashing was admirable in defeat.

"It was a good trip, other than we had to wait a little bit,” Velazquez explained. “Then from the three-sixteenths pole, he came running. I think the other horse kind of got the jump on him a little bit. I'm very proud of how he did it - he squeezed through the rail and came running. He was really good."

Live racing resumes Sunday at the Big A with a 10-race card, featuring the Listed $150,000 Chelsey Flower in Race 3. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

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