Congrats (USA) came out with all guns blazing to sire a stakes-winning treble in the USA on Saturday.
He has sired 6 individual stakes winners this year and Venus Valentine landed the latest with a last-to-first finish in the G3 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (1700m) in Louisiana. She made up 10 lengths and cut the corner to run down Midnight On Oconee (Midnight Lute) by a length.
The Congrats filly became the 23rd career stakes winner for her sire and she also earned 50 qualifying points towards the G1 Kentucky Oaks on Friday, May 6.
“She showed great raw talent from the start and has put some problems behind her,” trainer Tom Amoss said. “She won her first start but was tying up so it was a bit of a guessing game. We solved that problem and felt she had a real chance today.”
Venus Valentine (3f Congrats – Valentine Fever by Stormin Fever) is a Rosemont Farm homebred and is the first foal to race out of a black-type winner of the Valdale Stakes and Cincinnati Trophy.
Congrats filly Cash Back kept her perfect record intact after registering another easy victory in the LR Melody of Colors Stakes (1000m) at Gulfstream Park on Saturday.
The Brad Cox trained filly shipped into Florida following two sprint wins on turf in Louisiana. “I got a very good trip,” jockey Jose Lezcano said after the hand-ride. “I stayed and waited for something to open. When it did, she came running.”
Cash Back (3f Congrats – Hidden Assets by Mt. Livermore) is a homebred for Kentucky breeders Richard and Bert Klein. They bought her dam for $230,000 at the 1999 Keeneland April 2YO Sale and she won up to Group 3 level before retiring to an even better career at stud.
Hidden Assets has produced 9 winners from 9 runners, 5 of them at stakes level. Before Cash Back, her black-type winners were Cash Control (Pioneerof the Nile), Due Date (El Prado), Country Day (Speightstown), and Good Deed (Broken Vow).
Cash Back is the 24th stakes winner by Congrats and Cox said the filly is thriving. “She’s doing really, really well. We expected a big effort out of her and she is definitely moving forward.”
Seasoned Congrats mare Haveyougoneaway landed her second stakes win in a row with a one-act performance in the LR Spring Fever Stakes (1100m) at Oaklawn Park.
Haveyougoneaway (5m Congrats – One Wise Cowgirl by Wiseman’s Ferry) cruised into second spot at the top of the straight and won going away from odds-on favourite Thirteen Arrows. She had already joined the Congrats stakes winning list during a career that has generated 8 wins and $372,425.
Forever Darling bagged the first black-type for Congrats (USA) this year in the G2 Santa Ynez Stakes (Santa Anita) and Haveyougoneaway quickly followed up in the LR American Beauty Stakes (Oaklawn Park) in January.
Already in February, Congrats filly Pangburn maintained her perfect first-up record in the LR Maryland Media Stakes (1700m) and Dubai sensation Polar River destroyed her rivals in the LR UAE 1000 Guineas. The Congrats import is undefeated in three starts by a combined winning margin of 30 lengths at Meydan!
Polar River is the $1.28 pre-post favourite for the G3 UAE Oaks (1900m) on March 4 and it also carries 50 qualifying points for the G1 Kentucky Oaks.
