James M. Miller’s Daisy Devine sprung a huge upset in the $150,000 Pin Oak Valley View (gr. IIIT) (VIDEO) Oct. 21 at Keeneland, as she ran down pacesetter In Step in the final yards to pop at 43-1.
Calvin Borel was aboard the 3-year-old daughter of Kafwain , who won by a half-length and scored her second graded stakes of the season. In March, she won the Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II) on dirt. This was her first career start on turf.
Daisy Devine is trained by Andrew McKeever. A $5,500 Keeneland September 2009 yearling sale graduate, she was bred by J. Reiley McDonald and is out of the Devil’s Bag mare Devil’s Dispute.
Sitting a perfect stalking trip under Borel, Daisy Devine followed In Step and Garrett Gomez through splits of :23.32, :47.72, and 1:12.50. Christmas Cove and favored Bizzy Caroline were also close to the pace.
In Step still led coming off the turn and but was ahead by just a half-length at the eighth pole. Daisy Devine kept charging at her in the final furlong and finally took the lead in the final 100 yards. Bizzy Caroline and Manny Cruz nipped In Step at the wire by a head for second.
The final time for 1 1/16 miles on the good turf was 1:43.30.
"(I had) the perfect trip," Borel said. "She's a very light filly, and I know the turf is a little wet and deep. But she kept right on. I hit her a couple of times left-handed and when I hit her right-handed she took off and I got the lead horse."
Daisy Devine had been out of her best form ever since running seventh in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I). She was fifth in the June 25 Iowa Oaks (gr. III) and a well-beaten third in the Oct. 11 Indiana Oaks (gr. II) in her last two starts. McKeever worked her twice on the Keeneland turf earlier this month.
"I worked her a couple times on the turf and she really liked it," McKeever said. "So Mr. Miller wanted to take a chance on turf and we did. She just hasn't been the same since the Kentucky Oaks until the last two weeks when she's really come back to herself."
A two-time winner as a juvenile, the victory improved Daisy Devine to 4-1-1 from nine lifetime starts and upped her earnings to $488,349.
She paid $89, $23.20, and $9.40. The exacta (11-4) returned $395.40 and the trifecta (11-4-2) was worth $1,825.60.
Julien Leparoux had five winners on the 10-race card. It was the first time in 11 years that a jockey has won at least five races on a single day at Keeneland.
Keeneland announced an attendance of 14,346 on a pleasant fall day in Lexington.