Robbie Davis was in no hurry to let go of his 3-year-old filly Vallelujah on the morning of Aug. 14.
The former jockey turned trainer held the bay New York-bred daughter of Teuflesberg as he showed her off to anyone who happened by his barn. He was entitled.
Vallelujah pulled off a Saratoga shocker the day before when she lit up the tote board at odds of 24-1. What made this win even more special for the Davis family was it was Robbie's second career training win at Saratoga Race Course. The first came in 2013.
The proverbial cherry on top was that his daughter, Jackie, was riding Vallelujah and it was her first-ever win at Saratoga. A family affair, indeed. What makes it even better is that they have all called Saratoga home.
"It really was," Davis said. "It's what we work for. It was great to be a part of that first win for her. And, oh yeah, absolutely, I had a big lump in my throat. Being able to win with my daughter was extra special."
Davis and his wife, Marguerite, have six children. Two of them -- Dylan and Jackie -- are currently riding and another, Katie, is a former jockey. Another son, Edmund, is a trainer.
Vallelujah is owned by East Ave Racing Stables and Sisu Racing Stables, and that is a story in itself. During the raging days of COVID-19, the Saratoga meet was closed to the public in 2020.
Diehard fans of the meet would congregate outside the track and use ladders to peer over the green screens put over the fences to prevent anyone from watching from the street.
"I would be hacking around on my horse and would ride over and ask what they were doing," Robbie Davis said. "I told them if they really wanted to get in, they should buy a horse and they could all be partners and they'll let you in."
That's exactly what they did. They bought the filly, who was bred by Carolyn Karlson, and the rest is history. Davis said the filly was born on Valentine's Day and, after the group said, "Hallelujah!" the name became Vallelujah.
The first Saratoga win in Davis' training career came with Sandyinthesun.
His stable has only three horses.
"I enjoy getting on horses in the mornings," said the 61-year-old Davis, who won 3,382 races as a jockey. "It's not a job, it's what I love to do."
