Valvano (Night Of Thunder) wins very impressively at Nottingham for Ralph Beckett and owners Valmont.
The juvenile son of Night Of Thunder followed in some illustrious hoofprints here as he made an impressive start to his career. Our own King Of Steel made a successful debut in a division of the the extended one-mile contest 12 months ago, while subsequent St Leger Eldar Eldarov was in the winner’s circle in 2021.
Valvano was sent of as an 8-11 favourite, but those who took the cramped odds will have had few concerns as after moving to the lead entering the final furlong, Valvano sprinted clear in the testing conditions to pull six lengths clear of his toiling rivals.
Beckett, who won a division of the race with subsequent Derby participant Artistic Star last year, said of his latest victor: “He’s a nice horse who loved the ground and it was a good effort.”
On whether he could run again this season, the trainer added: “We’ll see what happens next, he could.”
Crouch was clearly impressed by the performance, telling Racing TV: “He’s very raw. He made it look straightforward because he’s got a lot of natural ability, but he took a bit of managing and organising and he’s keen to get on with things.
“He ran a little bit green, but once we straightened up he’s very talented. Amongst all the greenness he’s very responsive and he’s keen to learn.
