Victim of Love, Pacific Gale Meet Again in Bed o’ Roses

In two winning starts over the Belmont Park main track, Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Victim of Love  has displayed an affinity for the Nassau County oval and will vie to keep such ways intact in the $300,000 Bed o' Roses Stakes (G3) for older fillies and mares going seven furlongs June 4.

Trained by Todd Beattie, Victim of Love's pair of winning starts at Belmont took place when sweeping the last two editions of the Vagrancy Handicap (G3). The Speightstown   mare ran third in the Ballerina Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course following her first Vagrancy, then was out of action for more than six months. She returned in February with a runner-up finish in a Laurel Park allowance optional claiming test. The 5-year-old mare successfully redeemed herself next out in this year's Vagrancy May 8 with an outside stalking trip under Joel Rosario from second and fought gamely down the stretch to win by 2 1/4 lengths. 

"She likes the going up there," Beattie said. "She has tactical speed and Joel realized the pace was going slow. I thought he moved what might have been a little early for her, but it wasn't (too early) because of the slow pace. They got the jump on things and boy is she tough to run down. She lays it on the line. They're not going to creep by her; she'd dog 'em, that's for sure."

Rosario will pilot Victim of Love again from post 5. 

Trainer John Kimmel will seek to turn the tables on Victim of Love with Holly Hill Stables' Pacific Gale , who was third in the Vagrancy. 

After two full calendar years without a trip to the winner's circle, the 6-year-old Flat Out   mare ended a 17-race slump with an upset win in the Inside Information Stakes (G2) Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park. She carried her newfound winning ways into another South Florida conquest in the Hurricane Bertie Stakes (G3) March 20 en route to the Vagrancy. 

Kimmel said changing some things up with her training pattern proved instrumental in Florida during the winter, including utilizing the jogging path at Palm Meadows Training Center. 

"She really liked that a lot. We had to sort of improvise when we came back here. We do a lot of 'around the world,'" Kimmel said. "They go on to the training track, jog to the pony shed, go on to the main track and sort of gallop all the way around the backstretch, and come back past the starting gate and back on to the training track, and finish up there."

In the Vagrancy, Pacific Gale was a step slow coming out of the gate and hurried into contention while racing in between horses down the backstretch. She came with a late run in the final furlong, but just missed second a nose to Sadie Lady . 

John Velazquez retains the mount from post 7.

Entries: Bed o' Roses S. (G3)

Belmont Park, Friday, June 04, 2021, Race 8

• Grade III
• 7f
• Dirt
• $300,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:40 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Lake Avenue (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	William I. Mott	6/1
2	2Piedi Bianchi (IN)	Manuel Franco	118	Carlos F. Martin	15/1
3	3Alandra (KY)	Jose Lezcano	118	Claude R. McGaughey III	15/1
4	4Bayerness (KY)	Luis Saez	118	Cherie DeVaux	10/1
5	5Victim of Love (KY)	Joel Rosario	120	Todd M. Beattie	7/2
6	6Chub Wagon (PA)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Guadalupe Preciado	9/5
7	7Pacific Gale (KY)	John R. Velazquez	122	John C. Kimmel	5/1
8	8Estilo Talentoso (KY)	Javier Castellano	118	Juan Arriagada	9/2