Euros Marooned Outside in Valley View

[Wandering Eyes]

Godolphin’s Poetic Charm (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and West Point Thoroughbreds, Hubert Honore and Robert Masiello’s Chipolata (Fr) (Muhtathir {GB}) appear to be the class of Friday’s GIII Pin Oak Valley View S. at Keeneland, but the playing field was leveled at least somewhat by the draw in the 1 1/16-mile turf event when that pair pulled the two widest posts in a 14-horse affair.

Poetic Charm has come to hand over the summer in Great Britain and especially France, running second in the G3 Prix de Lieurey Aug. 15 at Deauville and capturing the Prix de la Cochere Sept. 5 at Longchamp. The Charlie Appleby pupil got a feel for the local turf in preparation for this North American bow with an easy three-furlong breeze around dogs in :40 2/5 (1/1) Oct. 12.

Unlike that filly, Chipolata has already proven herself on an American turf course. Stakes-placed twice at Longchamp in the spring, the chestnut showed a strong late punch to be third at over 36-1 in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational July 7. Able to get acclimated with trainer Christophe Clement since then, she shows a steady stream of breezes at Belmont Park in the interim, capped by a half-mile dirt move in :50 2/5 (19/33) Oct. 13.

Leading the contingent for the home team is Susan and Jim Hill’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Daddy Is a Legend (Scat Daddy). Closing out her juvenile campaign with a score in the GIII Jimmy Durante S. at Del Mar, the dark bay was a trouble-filled fourth behind division leader and fellow ‘Rising Star’ Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) in the GII Appalachian S. here Apr. 8. Conquering the GIII Lake George S. three starts later July 20 at Saratoga, she was most recently third to Rushing Fall, winner of last weekend’s GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. at Keeneland, in the GII Lake Placid S. over soft ground Aug. 18 at the Spa.

The third and fourth finishers from the Sept. 15 GII Sands Point S. at Belmont are plenty logical here. Colonia (Fr) (Champs Elysees {GB}) impressively annexed the Hatoof S. in her Stateside debut July 7 at Arlington and ran fifth in the GI Del Mar Oaks before closing into a slow pace to fill out the trifecta at Big Sandy. Reversethedecision (Scat Daddy), second in the Boiling Springs S. May 26 at Monmouth, captured an allowance July 28 at Saratoga before finishing a length behind Colonia in the Sands Point. The $160,000 KEEJAN buy is part of a one-two punch for trainer Chad Brown, who also saddles impressive Keeneland Spring maiden victress Mighty Scarlett (Scat Daddy). Since then, the $260,000 OBS March pickup was third in the GIII Wonder Again S. and fifth in the Belmont Oaks before scoring in a Spa allowance Sept. 2.

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