Valdez

Born and raised at Stone Farm, Valdez raced for his breeder Aaron Jones and his wife Marie. Conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Laz Barrera and ridden by Laffit Pincay Jr., Valdez broke his maiden and posted two allowance wins as a 3-year-old before winning the Silver Screen H.-G2 in his stakes debut. Next out he won the prestigious Swaps S.-G1 at Hollywood Park, covering the 1 1/4 miles in an impressive 1:59 2/5. Also winner of the Paterson H.-G3 and Rutgers H.-G3 that year, Valdez came back as a 4-year-old to win the San Pasqual H.-G2. He won 8 races and placed 5 times in 16 starts for earnings of $519,971.