The Dec. 4 CA$150,000 Valedictory Stakes (G3), a route test at 1 1/2 miles on the Woodbine synthetic main track, has attracted 12 starters, including the promising Novo Sol.
The marathon test, for 3-year-olds and up, will mark the 19th career start for the 5-year-old son of Agnes Gold, who was group 1-placed in his native country of Brazil.
Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. for Daniel Alonso, Novo Sol recently added Woodbine to his racetrack passport. After competing in Brazil, the bay was sent to join Joseph's barn last winter and has raced at Gulfstream Park, Pimlico Race Course, Belmont Park, and Presque Isle Downs prior to coming to the Toronto oval. He has captured two of seven starts since coming to the U.S.
In his latest effort, Novo Sol ran the highest Equibase Speed Figure of his career, a 111, when rallying to finish third in the Nov. 6 Autumn Stakes (G2) behind the winner Who's the Star and War Bomber.
"I thought he was in a good spot, and he finished up well," said Joseph. "He couldn't quicken as much as the Mark Casse horse (Who's the Star, also entered to run in the Valedictory), who was much the best, but overall, I thought it was a decent run. Patrick (jockey, Husbands) said that he ran well and ran his race. He's a horse that doesn't really have a quick acceleration, so I believe that a mile and a half will help him a bit better."
After a win and a third in his first two starts of 2022, both at Gulfstream, Novo Sol, bred by Stud Eternamente Rio, finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the Dinner Party Stakes (G2T) and Belmont Gold Cup (G2T).
The bay rebounded with a two-length triumph in a mile and 70-yard race over the Gulfstream synthetic July 16 and followed it up with a third in the Presque Isle Mile Stakes Sept.19.
"He likes the Tapeta. He's 2-for-2 at Gulfstream on the surface and that's why we took him to Presque Isle, to keep him on the Tapeta. He was third going a mile and a half on the grass, but this will be his first time going that distance on the Tapeta. So, we think it's a distance he likes and a surface he likes."
Novo Sol worked four furlongs in :48 on the Woodbine main track Nov. 20 and followed it up with a :48.60 breeze one week later.
"He's a very easy-going horse and a smart horse. On the track, in his gallops, he might get a bit overkeen, but as far as around the barn, he's very quiet."
M Racing Group's Who's the Star figures to be the likely betting favorite in the Valedictory and is enjoying a fantastic year for Casse. The 4-year-old son of Tonalist enters Sunday's race off two consecutive graded stakes scores in the Autumn and Durham Cup (G3). He also landed the Niagara Stakes earlier this summer.
Woodbine, Sunday, December 4, 2022, Race 7Entries: Valedictory S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1English Conqueror (ON) Daisuke Fukumoto 120 Darwin D. Banach 12/1 2 2Seventyseven Stone (FL) Ademar Santos 120 Paul D. Lepiane 30/1 3 3Novo Sol (BRZ) Patrick Husbands 120 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 7/2 4 4Angelou (KY) Luis Contreras 117 Kevin Attard 8/1 5 5Elusive Knight (ON) Gary Boulanger 121 Michael J. Doyle 10/1 6 6British Royalty (ON) Justin Stein 120 Barbara J. Minshall 8/1 7 7Wentru (KY) Rafael Manuel Hernandez 121 Martin Drexler 15/1 8 8Ya Beauty (GB) Jeffrey Ian Alderson 118 Nigel R. Burke 30/1 9 9Collective Force (ON) Eswan Flores 120 Rachel Halden 15/1 10 10Megayacht (MD) Kazushi Kimura 121 Christophe Clement 6/1 11 11Prideofdistinction (ON) Sahin Civaci 120 Martin Drexler 20/1 12 12Who's the Star (KY) Emma-Jayne Wilson 124 Mark E. Casse 5/2
