Mandella Hopes Second Time’s a Charm
By Christie DeBernardis
Valiant Emilia (Per) (Pegasus Wind) was given a tall order when asked to make her American debut against the likes of Untapable (Tapit), Close Hatches (First Defence) and Don’t Tell Sophia (Congaree) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff Oct. 31, where she finished 12 1/2 lengths back in eighth at odds of 54-1. Trainer Gary Mandella was not at all displeased with that effort however, and believes the 5-year-old, who won 11 of her 23 starts in Peru, will show what she is truly capable of Saturday in the GII Bayakoa S. at Los Alamitos.
“She had never been in competition that tough before and was coming off a long layoff,” Mandella said of the mare’s Breeders’ Cup effort. “Because of the time off, she was a little bit rank and had pulled on Rafael Bejarano. It wasn’t that she had a bad trip per say, it was the way she was doing it. I think running into a progression and getting into a cycle is going to help her be a little more relaxed, and she will be able to show a little bit more of herself with that race under her belt.”
The conditioner added, “I know it is going to sound a bit strange to come off as using a Breeders’ Cup race as a prep for anything else, but that is just the way life presented itself. I feel she is probably more likely to run one of her best races this time then she was on Breeders’ Cup day.”
Owned by Bernardo Calderon, Valiant Emilia stamped her ticket to the Breeders’ Cup with a victory in Peru’s G3 Cesar Del Rio Suito S., a “Win and You’re In” event for the Distaff. While Calderon has had horses in training with East Coast-based conditioner Michael Matz in the past, he wanted the mare to go straight to California to prepare for the Breeders’ Cup, so Matz recommended Mandella who was happy to take her on.
He originally planned to run the bay in Santa Anita’s GI Zenyatta S. Sept. 27 as a prep for the Distaff, but that plan was thwarted by missed training.
“She got a little bit sick on me at Del Mar when she came up and we just didn’t get quite enough training in to feel like we could even use it as a prep race,” the conditioner commented. “She was too far from fit enough to go 1 1/16 miles. Her training did come on quite a bit after that so we did go ahead and run her in the Breeders’ Cup, where I thought she performed fairly well.”
Mandella has been happy with the way Valiant Emilia has been working at Santa Anita since the Breeders’ Cup, most recently breezing five furlongs in :59 2/5 Nov. 30, the third best of 54 works at that distance that day.
“I think she has trained just as well [as she did prior to the Distaff] and we didn’t have to play catch up to do it,” the trainer remarked. “I feel she is there now. I obviously have a great deal more confidence in the field we are taking on without somebody like Untapable in there, that’s for sure.”
As for the change in venue from Santa Anita to Los Alamitos, Mandella does not see the switch as being an issue for his charge.
“I don’t believe [the Los Alamitos surface] will be a problem,” he said. “Actually, the longer stretch is probably better suited to her grinder type style that she has.”
No future plans have been made for Valiant Emilia at this time, but her trainer is confident she will give a better showing of herself Saturday.
“I think she will put herself into a good position similar to what she was in on Breeders’ Cup day, but I think she will be more relaxed once she gets there,” Mandella said. “I feel pretty optimistic that she can show a little bit better of herself and what her true ability level is, a little bit more so than what everybody saw on Breeders’ Cup day.”