Venetian Harbor Scores on Turf in Monrovia
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Venetian Harbor wins the Monrovia Stakes at Santa Anita Park
Venetian Harbor, in her first start since well beaten in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) Nov. 7 at Keeneland, seized immediate control and drew off to win the June 5 $201,500 Monrovia Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita Park by 3 1/2 lengths, her third graded stakes victory and first on turf. Trained by Richard Baltas and ridden for the first time by Mario Gutierrez, Venetian Harbor completed 6 1/2 furlongs on a firm grass course in 1:15.06.
Breaking from post 7 in a field of eight fillies and mares, Venetian Harbor sped to the lead while pressed by Superstition to her outside as well as Nasty and Never for Money , who tucked in just behind in the run to the far turn. She set fractions of :22.48 and :44.96 for the first half-mile.
With a one length advantage a quarter-mile out, Venetian Harbor opened up turning for home and won in hand.
"I had the opportunity to work her in the mornings, so I already knew a lot about her," said Gutierrez. "I knew she carried the speed, that was never the question. I just let her break and right away, try to not ask her too much; she did the rest. She put herself in the race; after that, it was just wait for the time to kick home and she got the job done."
A winner of the Oct. 17 Lexus Raven Run Stakes (G2) going seven furlongs on dirt two starts back at Keeneland and a winner of Santa Anita's Las Virgenes Stakes (G2) at one mile in her third career start, Venetian Harbor was the narrow 2-1 favorite over Superstition and paid $6.40 for a $2 win ticket.
"She ran the way we thought she would," said Baltazar Marroquin, assistant to Baltas, who was out of town Saturday. "We expected her to go to the lead. She's run against some of the best fillies and Mario has worked her a couple of times, so he knows her."
Owned by Ciaglia Racing, Highland Yard, River Oak Farm, and Domenic Savides, Venetian Harbor now has a 4-4-0 record from nine starts and increased her earnings to $633,400.
"It's great to be back and have everyone here; this was part of the plan," Savides said. "Everyone was asking, 'what are we doing on turf?' but she hasn't needed a surface throughout her whole 3-year-old campaign, all over the country, and I think today surface didn't really matter at all. We're just going to keep her happy and healthy. Ritchie (Baltas) is in New York right now, Ruben was here to saddle her, and they have done an incredible job, keeping this horse happy and healthy."
Venetian Harbor, a 4-year-old filly, topped an exacta for Ashford Stud's Munnings , who also sired runner-up Constantia . Next to last around the far turn, Constantia swung six deep turning for home and was second 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Superstition in third.
Colts Neck Stables bred Venetian Harbor in Kentucky out of the stakes-placed Street Cry mare Sounds of the City , whose most recent foal is a yearling colt by Oscar Performance . Sounds of the City was reported bred last to Constitution for 2021.
Venetian Harbor, whose fourth dam is champion sprinter Safely Kept , was a $110,000 purchase by Jesse Hoppel from Ashview Farm's consignment at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She was a $205,000 RNA when consigned by Coastal Equine to the 2019 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.