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The Chosen Vron Goes For Third Straight Victory In Affirmed Stakes

The Chosen Vron seeks new worlds to conquer in Sunday's Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes for three-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles.

The California-bred son of Vronsky has three wins from four starts, all sprints, the last against open company May 15 in the Grade 3 Laz Barrera Stakes, scoring by a widening 3 ½ lengths at 6 ½ furlongs under Umberto Rispoli, who rides again Sunday.

“It's a wait-and-see situation,” said Eric Kruljac, who trains the chestnut gelding for a partnership of which he is a member.

“When you have a nice horse like this you want to see if he can stretch out, so that's part of the motive in running here. If he doesn't stretch out (successfully), we can concentrate on sprints.

“But I think it's time to try two turns. There isn't much between now and the Real Good Deal (a $175,000 race at seven furlongs for Cal-breds July 30 at Del Mar, which Kruljac had on the agenda). I'd have to work him maybe seven or eight times for that race if we didn't run in the Affirmed.

“I just felt it was time. Umberto said he had a lot of horse left in the Laz Barrera. He said he didn't use him up.”

The G3 Affirmed Stakes, named for the 1978 Triple Crown winner trained by the late Laz Barrera, is race 10 of 11 with a 1 p.m. first post time. The field for the Affirmed includes Classier, Flavien Prat, 2-1; Jimmy Irish, Trevor McCarthy, 20-1; The Chosen Vron, Umberto Rispoli, 8-5; Defunded, Abel Cedillo, 5-2; and Mr. Impossible, Juan Hernandez, 7-2.

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After Recent Personal Challenges, Desormeaux Resurgent At 51

Kahuna Magic appeared to be running for second in last Sunday's second race, a maiden allowance event for three-year-olds and up at six furlongs on the main track.

Brutto, the 1-2 favorite, had a clear lead passing the eighth pole and seemed on his way to victory.

But here came Kahuna Magic, fourth entering the stretch, with Kent Desormeaux riding like he was pursuing his fourth Kentucky Derby triumph, even though he was next to last in a field of five at the half-mile marker, and, at 13-1, aboard the second-longest shot in the race.

Desormeaux would have none of it, ultimately winning by a neck in a three-horse photo finish. As the Equibase chart notes, “Kahuna Magic drew alongside Brutto with a sixteenth remaining and overhauled that rival for the score.”

It was the 17^th of 18 victories this meet for Desormeaux, who has overcome life-changing familial issues and substance abuse challenges that required rehabilitation to resurrect a Hall of Fame career which had ebbed to near-nothingness.

“I'm very happy to work for him again,” said veteran agent Tony Matos, who represented the Louisiana native two decades ago when Desormeaux won the Kentucky Derby twice, with Real Quiet in 1998 and Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000.

Desormeaux would go on to win a third Run for the Roses on Big Brown in 2008, when Matos did not have his book.

“Kent's riding as good as ever, maybe better,” said Matos, who also handles business for Edwin Maldonado.

“It's definitely nice to have clarity and the support of horsemen on the backside,” Desormeaux said. “Tony has the respect of several clients who have given me their trust, so it's working out.

“It's nice to be the talk of the town again.”

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Venetian Harbor Returns In Saturday’s Monrovia

A two-time graded stakes winner who has been idle since well beaten by Eclipse Champion Gamine in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint Nov. 7, the Richard Baltas-trained Venetian Harbor heads a field of eight fillies and mares going 6 ½ furlongs on turf in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Monrovia Stakes at Santa Anita.

Although she looms large on class alone, Venetian Harbor will face serious opposition as she catches a field with four last-out winners and a pair of distaffers that come off of second-place finishes in their most recent starts.

The Keith Abrahams homebred Constantia rates high on the list of recent winners, as she rallied impressively to take an ungraded sprint stakes going six furlongs on turf here April 17 and the Baltas-trained Nasty, a gate to wire ungraded stakes winner here at a flat mile on turf back on Dec. 26, also rates a huge chance.

A winner of Santa Anita's Grade 2 Las Virgenes Stakes going a flat mile on the main track in her third start on Feb. 8, 2020, Venetian Harbor was then second as the odds-on favorite to eventual Eclipse Champion 3-year-old Filly Swiss Skydiver in Oaklawn Park's Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes May 1 and was subsequently second in both the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland July 11 and the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 8. A winner of the Grade 2 Raven Run Stakes two starts back going seven furlongs on dirt at Keeneland Oct. 17, Venetian Harbor was never a factor when beaten 16 ½ lengths in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Keeneland Nov. 7.

Although she's be trying a new game with turf on Saturday, Venetian Harbor, in her only start on grass, ran a solid second in her career debut, beaten three quarters of a length going five furlongs at Del Mar on Nov. 15, 2019.

Owned by Ciaglia Racing, LLC, Highland Yard, LLC, River Oak Farm and Domenic Savides, Venetian Harbor, a 4-year-old filly by Munnings out of the Street Cry mare Sounds of the City, will be ridden for the first time by Mario Gutierrez. With an overall mark of 8-3-4-0, she has earnings of $513,400.

Trained by John Sadler, Constantia comes off what appeared to be her best ever performance, as she split horses turning for home and rallied for an impressive 1 ½ length win in the Mizdirection Stakes at six furlongs on turf April 17. A 4-year-old filly by Munnings out of the Belong to Me mare Llandudno, Constantia, unlike Venetian Harbor, has been on turf in all 12 of her career starts, which have resulted in a 4-1-3 mark and earnings of $149,752.

With Umberto Rispoli, who is in search of his 15 stakes win at the current meet, back aboard, Constantia will be making her first graded stakes start in the Monrovia.

Cast as the “Other Baltas,” the LNJ Foxwoods-owned Nasty has an outstanding work tab to her credit, with three bullet moves on Santa Anita's training track at distances of five furlongs and a half mile. Idle since taking the one mile turf Lady of Shamrock in gate to wire fashion on opening day, Nasty, who sold for $230,000 as a Keeneland September Yearling, will be ridden for the first time by newly transplanted Trevor McCarthy, who notched his first Santa Anita win at 6 ½ furlongs on turf this past Monday.

A 4-year-old filly by Street Sense out of the Lion Heart mare Valiant Passion, Nasty, who was originally stabled with Brad Cox in the Midwest, made her first start for Baltas three starts back in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes at one mile on turf Oct. 17—finishing a close third behind multiple stakes winner Warren's Showtime.

THE GRADE 2 MONROVIA STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 9 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

Nasty—Trevor McCarthy—122
Never for Money—Geovanni Franco—122
Constantia—Umberto Rispoli—122
Gypsy Spirit—Edwin Maldonado—122
Trickle In—Tyler Baze—122
She's So Special—Juan Hernandez–122
Venetian Harbor—Mario Gutierrez—124
Superstition—Abel Cedillo–122

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Unbeaten Soothsay Faces Crazy Beautiful In Sunday’s Summertime Oaks

Richard Mandella's talented Soothsay, unbeaten in two starts, heads Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita. To be contested a mile and one sixteenth, the Summertime Oaks has attracted a field of five sophomore fillies.

Kenny McPeek-trained Grade 2 stakes winner Crazy Beautiful, who ships west from her Churchill Downs base, and Peter Eurton's sharp recent stakes winner Lady Aces, could both prove formidable in a race that doesn't appear to have an abundance of early pace.

Ridden by leading man Flavien Prat in both of her starts, Soothsay rallied from off the pace to win her six furlong debut by 1 ½ lengths on Feb. 26 and then had the look of something very special indeed when she dominated the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks on April, winning by a half length at 1 1/16 miles.

By Distorted Humor out of the Bernardini mare Spellbound, Soothsay is owned by Claiborne Farm, Perry Bass, Ramona Bass and Adele Dilschneider. Unbeaten in her two starts, she earned a lofty 87 Beyer Speed figure in her most recent start and appears to have any kind of future.

Devoid of early foot, Crazy Beautiful rallied from off the pace to register an impressive 2 ¼ length win in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks two starts back on March 27. Subsequently 10th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks April 30, this Kentucky-bred daughter of Liam's Map will try to bounce back in her Southern California debut.

Owned by Phoenix Thoroughbred III, Crazy Beautiful, who took a seven furlong ungraded stakes at Ellis Park in her second start on Aug. 9, 2020, is 8-3-3-0 overall and is the leading money earner in the field with $400,865. Ridden by Jose Ortiz in her last two starts, Crazy Beautiful will get the first-time services of Mike Smith on Sunday.

Owned and bred in Maryland by C R K Stable, LLC, Lady Aces rallied for an emphatic 3 ½ length maiden score going six furlongs here on May 2 and may well employ front-running tactics as she stretches out for the first time in what will be her third start.

Out of the Pleasantly Perfect mare Economy of Motion, Lady Aces will be ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli, as Prat opts to stick with the top selection.

THE GRADE 2 SUMMERTIME OAKS WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT

Lady Aces—Umberto Rispoli—120
Crazy Beautiful—Mike Smith—124
Plum Sexy—Abel Cedillo–120
Soothsay—Flavien Prat—124
Absolute Scenes—Trevor McCarthy–120

First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 1 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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