Venetian Harbor Tests Waters in Las Virgenes

Her speed and talent obvious, romping maiden winner Venetian Harbor gets a class and distance test at Santa Anita Park against four rivals in the $200,000 Las Virgenes Stakes (G2) Feb. 8. The one-mile race serves as a prep for the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks (G2) April 4 and the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs May 1, to which it provides qualifying points on a 10-4-2-1 scale to its top four finishers.

Though the competition is stiffer than what she defeated in a second-out maiden victory Dec. 29 at Santa Anita, a race she won by 10 3/4 lengths in 1:15.60 for 6 1/2 furlongs, the Las Virgenes is missing two of California's divisional leaders: three-time grade 1 winner Bast and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and Starlet Stakes (G1) runner-up Donna Veloce. The former hasn't worked since Jan. 18, and the latter only resumed breezing Feb. 1 after being given a winter freshening.

Their absence leaves the inexperienced Venetian Harbor as the heavy favorite in a race in which Soviet Problem Stakes scorer Cholula Lips is the lone stakes winner. The other entrants are Go Big Blue Nation, a $75,000 maiden claiming winner in her seventh start; Gingham, a winner of two of six starts, including a first-level allowance Jan. 3; and Stellar Sound, who was third in the Nov. 10 Desi Arnaz Stakes at Del Mar.

Besides her maiden triumph, Venetian Harbor ran second in a five-furlong turf dash Nov. 15 at Del Mar. But it is on the basis of her maiden win on dirt that she will garner support. That afternoon, the Munnings  3-year-old filly set fairly leisurely fractions of :22.19 and :45.36 and accelerated away from the pack with a fast subsequent quarter-mile in :24.01, capped by a final sixteenth in :6.23 under limited urging from jockey Joel Rosario.

Video: Race 7 (MSW) at SA on 12/29/19

Flavien Prat, who was up for her debut at Del Mar, returns in the irons on the filly, who breaks from post 4. Rosario will ride Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs, where he has four stakes mounts. 

"She's a very talented filly. I think she'll get the distance because she's out of a Street Cry mare," trainer Richard Baltas said. "The way she galloped out when she broke her maiden was very impressive."

Both her sire and dam, Sounds of the City, were most effective as sprinters, the latter on turf. Munning's three graded wins were at seven furlongs, and the six-time stakes-placed Sounds of the City preferred even shorter distances, making 26 of her 29 starts at three-quarters of a mile or less.

The only other foal to race from Sounds of the City, Broken Oath (by Broken Vow ), is a sprinter, a maiden from six starts.

A $110,000 purchase by Jesse Hoppel, agent, at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the Ashview Farm consignment, Venetian Harbor was placed late in last year's Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training, where she worked an eighth in :9 4/5 when consigned by Coastal Equine. She went unsold when bidding stopped at $205,000.

She now races for Ciaglia Racing, Dominic Savides, and River Oak Farm. River Oak's Nathan McCauley credits bloodstock agent Larry Zap for finding her and for his partners for allowing him to join them in ownership.

She trains at San Luis Rey Training Center, where Baltas keeps a string of horses besides his regular group at Santa Anita.

"It's quiet—there's no racing. It's a super relaxed atmosphere," he said. "Sometimes fillies especially like it down there."

Gingham, who has won twice at the mile distance at Santa Anita, appears her leading adversary. She is one of two entries from five-time Las Virgenes-winning trainer Bob Baffert, the other being Stellar Sound.

Entries: Las Virgenes S. (G2)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, February 08, 2020, Race 5

• Grade II
• 1m
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 2:28 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Go Big Blue Nation (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	120	Michael W. McCarthy	10/1
2	2Gingham (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	120	Bob Baffert	6/1
3	3Cholula Lips (CA)	Abel Cedillo	120	Mike Harrington	5/1
4	4Venetian Harbor (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Richard Baltas	2/5
5	5Stellar Sound (KY)	Mike E. Smith	120	Bob Baffert	5/1