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RACING NEWS
Valiant Miss Priss’ winning connections include owner/trainer Stacy Charette-Hill, and jockey Cristian Esqueda.
Charette-Hill, who is based in Lexington, Oklahoma, initially thought to pass the Challenge Championship, but jockey Cristian Esqueda said the filly deserved to go. Then groom Jesus Duron said, “I’d sure like to go out there, Stacy.”
“So I thought I would just send her out there and let him go with her and take care of her.” said Stacy. “It takes each and every one of our employees to make our wheel turn.”
“Getting this mare to run against the bit was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Charette-Hill said. “We went back to the basics because I want a good foundation on them. I went back to driving her.”
Luis Correll took care of Valiant Miss Priss at Charette-Hill’s farm, and he told the trainer that the filly “is real nice.” They tried her in a race for the first time at Will Rogers Downs
in Claremore late in her 3-year-old season, and she finished sixth. “She ran all right, but she looked like she was climbing,” Charette-Hill said. “Luis and I put our heads together. In her second out at Claremore she ran lots better, finishing third, and barely got outrun.”
Early this year at Remington Park, Valiant Miss Priss won twice and finished second once. “She ran phenomenal at Remington against some nice horses,” said Charette-Hill, who also felt the filly would improve at longer distances. Of the her four lifetime wins, three have come at 400 yards.
Valiant Miss Priss isn’t Charette-Hill’s only success in 2022. In 2019, with her late husband, Randy Hill, she bred A Pollitical Candy V, who won this year’s All American Derby-G1 & Rainbow Derby-G1. “It’s a blessing—I’ve had a wonderful year,” she said.
Christie and Mikel Donahue bred Valiant Miss Priss in Oklahoma out of Corona Mit Go, a double stakes winner on the racetrack, who has produced three winners from six starters, including stakes-placed Heroes Image.
Connie Young and John Herrick’s homebred Kiss Me Suzy (Kiss My Hocks- Ode To Suzy) finished second. Sergio Dominguez rode the 4-year-old filly for trainer John Stinebaugh. Kiss Me Suzy won the Q-Racing Video Lone Star Distaff Challenge on Oct. 1.
Edwin Escobedo piloted odds-on favorite Lynnder 16 (Apollitical Jess-Tinys Corona Queen) to third for owners Tom Maher and Richard Tobin and trainer Jason Olmstead.
Followed by One Coldhearted Diva (One Fabulous Eagle-Whata Chilled Cat), Paradyce (Corona Cartel-Splendifferous), Dedikated (Duponte-Kpax), Sin Sational Kisser (Kiss My Hocks-Sin Tacha Perry), Apollitical Mogul (Apollitical Jess-Cash Cartel), and Jess Gimme A Kiss (Kiss My Hocks-Perrys Dreamgirl).
Valiant Miss Priss’ groom Jesus Duron leads her and Jockey Cristian Esqueda to the winner’s circle.
SPEEDHORSE November 2022 171
Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse