There are very few more successful mares in the star-studded paddocks of Godolphin than the Redoute’s Choice mare Yavanna, which puts plenty of pressure on her two-year-old Street Boss (USA) colt Valaquenta.
It took just one start for Valaquenta to show he has inherited a good bit of class, when scoring on debut at Moonee Valley then was far from disgraced despite being unplaced by his top-class stablemate Hanseatic in the Group III Blue Diamond Prelude at Caulfield in February.
Off the scene for 13 weeks the son of Street Boss (USA) was never a factor over 1200 metres at Randwick won by the rising star Peltzer.
The James Cummings-trained colt showed he had takes plenty of benefit from that run when returned back down south for a 2yo handicap over 1100 metres at Caulfield on Saturday.
In a thrilling finish with a neck covering the first four across the line, Valaquenta defeated the Rubick gelding Nantucket by a half-head with the Written Tycoon gelding Crystal Chief a short-head back in third, just ahead of the topweight Jabali Ridge.
“He’s come back a very strong colt, he’s grown quite big with a nice depth to his girth. He has quite a bit of power there,” stable representative Sean Keogh said.
“He has only been in Melbourne for the last fortnight so it’s been a great job from the team at Crown Lodge to send him down in great order.
“Though it looked that was an inexperienced field but it looked a nice quality field and he got a lovely trail behind the speed so there is more to come from this horse.”
A three-quarter brother to the Listed Lonhro Plate winner and Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes runner-up Telperion (Street Cry) and half to the Group 1 ATC Randwick Guineas winner Kementari (Lonhro), Valaquenta is the fifth foal of Godolphin’s prized matron Yavanna a Melbourne winning Redoute’s Choice mare who is a daughter of the dual Group III winner Wild Queen (Loup Sauvage) from the great Denise's Joy family.
Yavanna’s three-year-old Reset filly Palurien has won two of seven starts and at her most recent start back on November 16 finished second in the Listed Twilight Glow Stakes at Sandown.
Yavanna has a yearling filly and a weanling filly by Lonhro.
She was not covered last year.
