In rolling to a five-race win streak in the fall and winter of 2025-26, Sister Troienne displayed talent in top turf races, but, surprisingly, a graded stakes victory has eluded her grasp.
The daughter of Munnings will try to check that box Oct. 23 at Keeneland when she faces an expected nine other 3-year-old fillies in the $400,000 Valley View Stakes (G2T). the race will be contested at 1 mile on the turf, a distance and surface where Sister Troienne has a 2-2-0 record from five starts.
Sister Troienne's five-race win streak from September 2025 through January 2026 included a maiden win at Churchill Downs, an allowance win at last year's Keeneland fall meet, and three stakes wins at Gulfstream Park. That impressive run came to an end for the Woodslane Racing homebred in the Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3T) when she finished a close second to Lion Lake.
After finishing fifth in the Appalachian Stakes (G2T) in the spring at Keeneland, trainer Brian Lynch gave her time off to allow some bone bruising to clear up. While she again finished a close second in her return, the Winter Memories Stakes (G3T) Oct. 1 on the Belmont Park turf, she appears poised to build off that effort following a half-mile breeze in :49 1/5 Oct. 16 at Churchill.
While Sister Troienne aims to break through after two runner-up finishes in graded stakes, Farfellow Farms' Define will enter off an impressive allowance race win Sept. 20 at Churchill Downs. In that race Define settled into fifth while saving ground through the far turn under Tyler Gaffalione before unleashing an early move at the five-sixteenths pole where she completed the next quarter-mile in :23.02 to take command in the stretch on her way to a 1 3/4-length victory.
The win followed an off-the-board finish in the Del Mar Oaks (G1T) in August for the Irish-bred daughter of Lope de Vega who started her career in Europe, where she placed in one of three starts. In landing a maiden special weight win in July at Ellis Park, Define raced near the lead on her way to a 2 3/4-length score.
Her allowance race win last month has trainer Brendan Walsh, who entered the week in second in the leading trainer standings for the meet, looking forward to the Valley View.
"She ran very well that last day," Walsh said. "She has a good chance I think. Seems like she's starting to fit in over here (in the United States). The Del Mar Oaks might have been too big of a step to take with the travel. But she ran very well, she redeemed herself the last time."
Live Oak Plantation homebred Ultimate Love also will be looking for her first graded stakes win when the daughter of Curlin starts from the inside under John Velazquez. In August Ultimate Love challenged for the lead in the stretch before settling for second in the Lake Placid Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga Race Course.
Keeneland, Friday, October 23, 2026, Race 9Entries: Bank of America Valley View S. (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Ultimate Love (FL) John R. Velazquez 118 Michael J. Trombetta 6/1 2 2Spin a Tune (KY) Jaime A. Torres 118 Eoin G. Harty 10/1 3 3Define (IRE) Tyler Gaffalione 118 Brendan P. Walsh 9/2 4 4Call On Me (KY) Cristian A. Torres 118 George R. Arnold II 15/1 5 5Sister Troienne (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Brian A. Lynch 6/5 6 6Rhapsody in Motion (KY) Danny Sheehy 118 Anna M. Meah 50/1 7 7Essential Lady (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 118 Jonathan Thomas 8/1 8 8Faye's Gold (KY) Adam Beschizza 118 Grant T. Forster 20/1 9 9That's How We Love (FL) Reylu Gutierrez 118 Philip Antonacci 12/1 10 10Dakotah Blue (KY) Francisco Arrieta 118 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 10/1
