Listed VRC St Leger trip right up 3YO Valiant Sun’s alley

MELBOURNE – Distance, distance and more distance is what trainer Liam Howley has been searching for with Valiant Sun.

The longest race restricted to three-year-olds in Victoria will be run on April 25 in the A$200,000 (S$182,000) Listed VRC St Leger (2,800m) at Flemington, with Valiant Sun taking up the challenge.

The Autumn Sun gelding will line up against 16 opponents and has drawn the second-widest gate as he looks to win for the second time in eight starts.

“I’ve always looked at him like he was going to stay a long way,” said Howley.

“He’s lacked that turn of foot but he’s slowly developing a little bit of speed about him.

“He can run time, but he’s got to build through the gears and the whole way through. The Leger has been the main goal.

“If he had shown a bit more speed along the way, maybe he could have been a Derby horse, but I think in his past two runs at a mile-and-a-half, every bit of the trip is important.

“Caulfield last time, he drew well, but the track played against us. But I still thought he ran very well and the bigger track at Flemington should suit him.”

Valiant Sun resumed this campaign and opened his account first-up in the Jayco Maiden Plate (1,600m) at Colac on Feb 6, before rising to 2,000m and finishing last in the Evergreen Turf Handicap at Pakenham on Feb 26.

Howley did not muck around and quickly stepped Valiant Sun up to 2,400m in the Marong Cup. There, he ran third at Bendigo against older horses before his last-start fourth in the Listed Manhari Galilee Series Final (2,400m) at Caulfield on April 11.

“I thought we’d step up quickly rather than go a mile, mile, 2,000 metres,” he said.

“There weren’t enough options and he’s a natural stayer, so I thought let’s get him out to his comfort zone. Every time we’ve raised the bar, he’s stepped up.”

Howley said the race shape had counted against Valiant Sun and is hoping for a solidly run 2,800m race at Flemington on the roomier circuit.

Should Valiant Sun run well on April 25, he could be Adelaide-bound for the Group 1 South Australian Derby (2,500m) at Morphettville on May 2.

“He’ll be entered and, if he happened to win, we would consider it,” said Howley.

“He could be a horse that could quite easily back up as we’d do nothing with him.

“He’s still quite dumb and doesn’t really know what day of the week it is, and the further the better with him.

“I’m looking forward to next year with him when he’s a bit more mature and those longer races are going to suit him.”

Among his opponents, two of them, Deal Done Fast and Te Taniwha, come from Ballarat trainer Matt Cumani’s yard.

Cumani knows Deal Done Fast can be a Stakes winner, but he just wants to get a win on the board with the Dundeel colt.

His maiden victory may come in the VRC St Leger, provided he can improve his barrier manners after seven starts.

Deal Done Fast has developed the annoying habit of stepping slowly. This has resulted in Cumani and his team doing some remedial work with the colt, since his most recent unplaced effort in the Group 1 Australian Derby (2,400m) at Randwick on April 4.

In the spring, Deal Done Fast finished third to Observer in the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2,500m) at Flemington.

“He threw his race away right at the beginning last time and I’m still trying to work out exactly what he did, but it’s starting to look like a pattern now,” said Cumani.

“I gave him a pass mark for the first two runs of the prep.

“In his first race, it was a short distance, and he got squeezed as he came out of the barriers. In his second race, he wasn’t concentrating and, for him to come out slowly for the third race of his prep, it was a worrying pattern.

“We’ve done a bit of barrier work, and he seems to be breaking well enough. He has no issues in the gates but is just a bit slow into stride.

“I’m hoping over 2,800m at Flemington, that shouldn’t be a problem. If he happens to do it again, he’ll have plenty of time to make up the ground.”

Cumani won the St Leger with Dunwoody over 3,000m at Sandown in 2023, when the race was held back four days following the death of jockey Dean Holland in a race fall at Donald.

“When we won it, it was with a horse that probably had no rights to win a Stakes race. But, having said that, it was 3,000m and now it’s back to 2,800m,” he said.

“It’s a tougher race this year than when we won it.”

Cumani said he would take temptation away by not entering Deal Done Fast for the South Australian Derby.

He said if there were thoughts of progressing to another Derby, the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2,400m) at Eagle Farm on May 30 could be on the agenda.

“There is another Derby left if we want to go down that path, but I just want to see him win a race,” said Cumani.

“He’s been an unlucky maiden. He should have won his first race. He was beaten a bob of the head, so he’s still got that tag, and it would be nice to get that sorted first.

“If he could do it in the St Leger, that would be fantastic and if not, we might look at other options before we put him away for a break.”

Cumani will also saddle Te Taniwha in the April 25 race. The son of Ocean Park has also not yet won in four starts.

“He’s been crying out for ground, and this has been a bit of a long-range plan for him,” he said.

“We would have liked to have seen him do a bit more in his last race. But it’s got such a long tail this race, that its always worthwhile having a horse in it for the prize money and it gives everyone a nice day at Flemington.” SKY RACING WORLD