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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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Search Results Faces Dayoutoftheoffice In Compact Acorn Field

Traditionally one of America's premier races for sophomore fillies, Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn at Belmont Park has attracted a compact, quality field to tackle Big Sandy's one-turn mile.

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival runs from Thursday through Saturday, June 5, culminating with the 153rd running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. The festival will encompass 17 total stakes, including eight Grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day, capped by the “Test of the Champion” for 3-year-olds in the 1 1/2-mile final leg of the Triple Crown. First post on Belmont Stakes Day is 11:35 a.m. Eastern.

Blazing Meadows Farm and Siena Farm's Tim Hamm-trained Dayoutoftheoffice returns to the course and distance of her greatest triumph, last fall's Grade 1 Frizette, in what will be just her second start of the season. The daughter of Into Mischief defeated subsequently crowned champion Vequist that day, just four weeks before their places were swapped in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

The Siena Farm homebred returned on Kentucky Oaks Day, April 30, to finish a game second to Obligatory in Churchill Downs' Grade 2 Eight Belles over seven furlongs. In five starts, she has never finished worse than second and has three victories.

“She's doing great and coming in perfect,” Hamm said. “We worked her on Sunday morning and she went just as prescribed, doing exactly what we wanted. We are confident, but when you get to this level of racing, you need a good trip. She's coming into the race in good shape.

“She's always been a mature filly, even at two, and has been very good mentally,” Hamm continued. “She has put some body back on as a 3-year-old and the big thing about coming off the layoff with a filly is making sure they having the same ambition at three. We circled the Acorn as a target.”

Hall of Famer John Velazquez has the call from post 4.

“I think she'll be close to the pace. She's been tactical her whole career,” said Hamm.

Klaravich Stables' Search Results [post 6, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] will hope to optimize her second top-level attempt after losing last month's Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks by a neck to divisional leader Malathaat. Trained by Chad Brown, the daughter of Flatter went into the Classic undefeated from three tries, including the Grade 3 Gazelle at the Big A.

“It's five weeks and [after the Kentucky Oaks] I said I'm going to point to the race under no pressure to run and Mr. Klarman was fine with whatever I wanted to do,” Brown said. “She's come back and worked really well. I've been doing this long enough to know that even if they work well, you're going to find out how they're really doing at the quarter-pole and how much the last race did or didn't affect them. I just can't pass on a race where she would be favorite in a Grade 1 and she's training this well. I am looking at the five weeks wishing I had a little more time for my own comfort, knowing what a hard stretch duel it was, but she's doing well.”

OXO Equine's Brad Cox-trained Travel Column [post 1, Florent Geroux], a dual graded stakes winner, was sent off as the second choice in the Kentucky Oaks, but faded to fifth after setting the pace. Topping this field's price tags—$850,000 at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga—the daughter of Frosted cuts back to one turn for the first time since graduating on debut over six furlongs in September.
“She's a multiple Grade 2 winner and hopefully we can get her a Grade 1,” Cox said. “I like the cutback from a mile and an eighth to a one-turn mile. I think it'll be a positive for her. She's been training well. She's had three nice breezes since the Oaks. With a good setup, she can make a big impression on Saturday.”

Gary Barber's New York-bred Make Mischief [post 5, Tyler Gaffalione] was third in the Eight Belles after closing from mid-pack at long odds. The daughter of Into Mischief won the state-bred Maddie May Stakes at the Big A's one-turn mile. Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, she is the most seasoned of the field, embarking on her 11th start.

“It's coming up pretty tough, but she ran a great race last time,” Casse said. “She's accomplished a fair amount already. She's graded stakes-placed and a stakes winner, but she doesn't have any Grade 1 type and that's what we're shooting for.”

Juddmonte's aforementioned Obligatory [post 2, Jose Ortiz] enters in top form for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, landing her second career win from four starts in the Eight Belles. The homebred daughter of Curlin broke her maiden over a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Park and appears well-suited to the trip.

Ruthless Stakes winner Miss Brazil [post 3, Javier Castellano] completes the field, seeking her fourth victory and exiting a one-sided, gate-to-wire Belmont sprint allowance tally on April 23. She was second to Search Results in Aqueduct's Busher Invitational over a one-turn mile in March and posted a bullet-of-86 half-mile breeze in 47.40 last week.

The Acorn is slated as Race 5 on the 13-race card.

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Trainer Faith Wilson Saddles First Winner With ‘Project Horse’ At Her Home Track

Ever wonder how a Thoroughbred trainer celebrates their first career victory?

For 33-year-old Faith Wilson, it was cake at home with her two children, ages five and two.

Wilson, the daughter of former trainers, recorded her first victory in her first year as a trainer – and in her 14th start – when La Luisa captured the ninth race, a $10,000 maiden claimer, at Monmouth Park on Monday.

“I'm beyond ecstatic, especially because this was a project horse that my husband and I own,” she said. “She was a bad bleeder when we got her. We gave her six months off and since then she has been very consistent (with a win, second and third in four starts for Wilson).

“I literally can't wait to get home and have cake with my kids and tell them about this.”

Wilson, an assistant for nine years for a variety of trainers, intended to launch her career at Monmouth Park a year ago “but we got here too late to get started.”

“So we decided to go to Tampa Downs and start there this winter,” she said. “We had a good winter at Tampa (with four seconds and a third from 13 starters) but I guess it was meant to be that I would get my first winner at my home track.”

Wilson's parents, Bill and Donna Wilson, both dabbled as trainers, with her mother spending her career (1989 through 1994) on the New Jersey circuit, which then included Garden State Park, the Meadowlands and Atlantic City Racecourse.

But Wilson will not have much time to savor the victory — though she will be able to have her cake and eat it too. She said she will be back at her barn on the Monmouth Park backstretch first thing Tuesday to tend to her seven horses.

“We have four running next weekend that I have to get ready,” she said.

La Luisa, a 3-year-old daughter of Suns Out Guns Out, returned $10.60 to win for her 1 ¼-length victory.

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Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Dempsey Aiming To Become First Known Female Starter In The States

The crews working on the starting gate at a racetrack will tell you their job is often a study of opposites: it requires strength and the wisdom to know when a gentle hand will work better; it requires you to be agile and move quickly, but also to know when to stand your ground; it requires fearlessness and an instinct for when to get out of the way.

Working on the gate also takes a good dose of horse sense, the ability to get along with all kinds of people (and their egos), and above all, a keen sense of timing.

In the primarily male-dominated racing industry, working on the gate crew is often considered a man's job. Cassie Dempsey is breaking that mold. She aims not just to continue to work on the gate, but to one day lead a gate crew of her own.

“It's kind of an adrenaline rush,” said Dempsey, 30. “I was always comfortable in the gate as an exercise rider, and something always drew me to it. I love the horses, the jockeys, and the whole crew. It's just a fun, cool job.”

Dempsey has spent the past several months working under the tutelage of head starter Nick Corbisello at Thistledown Racino in North Randall, Ohio.

“Cassie worked for me a year or two ago at Presque Isle, and she's as good an assistant starter as any man I know, which to me is big,” said Corbisello, 62. “When I got to Thistle this year, I needed an assistant and I knew who the best was. She's even better than I thought she was.

“She schools [the horses] in the morning, and she knows them better than I do. She puts everything on the computer, talks to the trainers for me. She knows them all. The girl is as good as they come.”

Dempsey grew up around horses, and began galloping racehorses at a training center when she was just 14 years old. She began galloping at Mountaineer as soon as she turned 16, and worked at a handful of different racetracks in various positions over the ensuing years. Dempsey stepped away from galloping when her back started to bother her, but waiting tables and working retail just wasn't the same.

Returning to the track in 2014, Dempsey got a job on the starting gate at Mahoning Valley.

“I knew very quickly that this is something I wanted to pursue,” she said.

Earlier this year she got the call from Corbisello to come work for him at Thistle, and neither has looked back since.

“She told me, 'I want to be a starter,'” recalled Corbisello. “Now, I never knew any woman to start a horse race, but I said, 'I'll do everything I can to help you.'”

So far, Dempsey has been pushing the button to open the gates for one race per afternoon at Thistle, learning to read the entire lineup of horses, jockeys, and the crew at the same time, to anticipate all their moves.

“She has all of them's respect, the crew, the trainers, everybody,” said Corbisello. “The administration was all on board when I threw the idea at them. She's as good as they come in every aspect. One big word is she cares. She really cares about everything, in particular the horses.”

Based on incomplete records, it appears there has never been a female head starter in North America. Dempsey plans to be the first.

“I'm loving every second of it,” she said.

Corbisello plans to support her every step of the way.

“I've only got, at best, a couple years left in my illustrious career,” he said genially. “I'm going to do all I can to have her step into my position here, but if not, I know lots of starters and I'm going to do everything I can to get her a starter position.

“She's the daughter I never had — fearless, just good in every aspect.”

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