(Grace on Grace headlines the field for this week’s Valdale Stakes at Turfway Park / Photo by Coady Media)

From the Turfway Park Media Team / Kevin Kerstein:

GOWELL STAKES WINNER GRACE ON GRACE HEADLINES $125,000 VALDALE STAKES

Francetta Allen’s Grace On Grace, the upset winner of the Gowell Stakes on New Year’s Day, will return to the Turfway Park Racing & Gaming and headline Saturday’s 38th running of the $125,000 Valdale Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

The 6 ½-furlong event, carded as Race 7 of 10, will go to post at 8:55 p.m., with first post set for 5:55 p.m.

Trained by Larry Demeritte, Grace On Grace pulled off a 10-1 surprise in the Gowell Stakes, rallying under Fernando De La Cruz to score her first stakes victory. The daughter of Jersey Town sports a solid career record of 9-2-3-0 with $123,641 in earnings. De La Cruz will retain the mount as the duo breaks from post No. 6.

Her competition includes Triple M Racing Stable’s My Lil Punky, who will look to turn the tables after finishing third as the even-money favorite in the Gowell Stakes. The John Ennis-trained daughter of Outwork was defeated 2 ¾ lengths that day and will attempt to redeem herself with jockey Edgar Morales aboard, breaking from the rail.

A new contender making her stakes debut is Robert Evans’ Brindi (IRE), an impressive allowance winner for trainer Kelsey Danner. The chestnut daughter of No Nay Never made her first start over Turfway’s Tapeta surface two weeks, winning a first-level allowance race by three lengths under leading rider Irving Moncada, who will again have the call from post 5.

          The complete field for the Valdale Stakes in post-position order (with jockey and trainer)

  • My Lil Punky (Morales, Ennis)
  • La Marinera (Rogelio Miranda, Kelly Fernandez)
  • Hollygrove (Joe Ramos, Whit Beckman)
  • Magical Bette (Gerardo Corrales, Wesley Ward)
  • Bindi (Moncada, Danner)
  • Grace On Grace (De La Cruz, Demeritte)
  • Maclean’s Lullaby (Walter Rodriguez, Pavel Matejka)

For the latest information about the Winter/Spring Meet plus the latest gaming information, visitwww.turfway.com.