Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Victim of Love made it back-to-back victories in the Grade 3 Vagrancy Handicap on Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., sitting just off pacemaker Sadie Lady and wearing that rival down in the final furlong to win the 71st running of the 6 1/2-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares by 2 1/4 lengths.
Sadie Lady nosed out 3-2 favorite Pacific Gale for second, with Piedi Bianchi and Honor Way completing the order of finish.
A 5-year-old Kentucky-bred mare by Speightstown trained by Todd Beattie, Victim of Love was ridden to victory by Joel Rosario, who was scoring his fourth win of the day. She ran 6 1/2 furlongs on a fast track in 1:17.27 after chasing Sadie Lady through fractions of :23.01, :45.64 and 1:10.50.
Victim of Love paid $6.30 as the second choice in the wagering. She carried 121 pounds, one less than Honor Way and Pacific Gale. The latter, coming off back-to-back graded stakes victories this winter at Gulfstream Park, hopped in the air at the start under John Velazquez, breaking behind the field and then rushing up to each contention in the run down the backstretch.
“She came home really nicely and exploded at the end and I was really proud of that effort,” said Rosario. “She put in a really nice race. She's fast and it was a very good performance.”
Victim of Love began her career for Tommy Town and trainer Henry Dominguez as a 2-year-old in New Mexico, racing first at Zia Park and then at Sunland Park where she broke her maiden in her third start and earned black type next out in the Island Fashion Stakes.
Sent east to Beattie after her sixth start, Victim of Love added the What A Summer Stakes in January 2020 at Laurel, finished second in the G3 Barbara Fritchie and then took the Vagrancy in a 27-1 shocker over odds-on favorite Come Dancing.
She's now won six of 18 starts at seven different racetracks.
“Last year when she came here, she was a big price because she ran badly in the Nellie Morse [going one mile in March 2020 at Laurel Park] when we tried her going longer,” said Beattie. “I tried to rate her, but she wasn't happy about that. She wants to be up there and involved early. That's her number. The distance is perfect. Six and a half or seven furlongs is ideal. She can go a mile, but not at this level.”
Beattie said the Grade 3 Bed O' Roses on June 4 was a possibility but noted that Victim of Love was running without Lasix for the first time in the Vagrancy. “This was new territory for us,” said Beattie. “We're going to figure it out together.”
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