Venetian Harbor | Horse Racing Free Tips

Venetian Harbor Holds Off Finite For Munnings Exacta In Raven Run

Second behind Speech in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland in July, Southern California-based Venetian Harbor returned to the Lexington, Ky., track to win Saturday's G2, $200,000 Lexus Raven Run Stakes for 3-year-old fillies in front-running fashion under Manny Franco.

Trained by Richard Baltas and owned by Ciaglia Racing, Highland Yard, River Oak Farm and Domenic Savides, the Kentucky-bred daughter of Munnings held off a late charge from multiple graded stakes winner Finite – also by Munnings – to win by a neck, with Grand Cru Class third, Reagan's Edge fourth and Tonalist's Shape fifth in the field of eight.

Off as the 3-2 favorite, Venetian Harbor paid $5.20 to win and covered seven furlongs in 1:23.02 on a fast track after setting fractions of :23.06, :46.17 and 1:10.34.

“I was a little bit concerned about the 2 horse (Four Graces), and when I saw she didn't break (in front) I decided to go then,” said Franco. “She's happy when she's in the lead. She showed it today. She's a nice filly.”

It was the third win in seven starts for Venetian Harbor, who was produced from the Street Cry mare Sounds of the City. She was bred by Richard Santulli's Colts Neck Stables and purchased from the eighth session of the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $110,000, then bought back for $205,000 at the 2019 OBS Spring Sale of 2-year-olds in training.

A winner around two turns earlier this year in the G2 Las Virgenes at Santa Anita, Venetian Harbor last raced Aug. 8 in the seven-furlong G1 Test Stakes at Saratoga, where she finished seven lengths behind Gamine.

Venetian Harbor is headed to the G1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, to be run at the same seven-furlong distance at Keeneland on Nov. 7. Sprinting is in her blood, as she traces back four generations in her female family to Hall of Fame runner Safely Kept, the 1989 champion sprinter and winner of the G1 Breeders' Cup Sprint in 1990 against males.

Finite ran a good race to be second for Steve Asmussen under Ricardo Santana Jr. in her second start since undergoing surgery to remove an ankle chip this spring. A Winchell homebred daughter of Munnings, Finite is a two-time G2 winner who soundly defeated G1 Preakness winner Swiss Skydiver in the G2 Rachel Alexandra at Fair Grounds in February.

In the Raven Run, Finite raced in mid-pack while well off the rail as Venetian Harbor went unchallenged on the lead, then followed the winner into the stretch. She switched to the rail when Venetian Harbor drifted out slightly and was gaining on her in the final strides.

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Venetian Harbor Leads Munnings 1-2 in Lexus Raven Run

Venetian Harbor (Munnings) was hustled to the front by Manny Franco and made all the running, holding off Finite (Munnings) by a neck to lead home a one-two finish for her in-form, young sire in the GII Lexus Raven Run S. at Keeneland Saturday.

The bay, favored at 8-5 while seeking her first win since a blowout victory in the GII Las Virgenes S. at Santa Anita back in February, led the field of eight through early fractions of :23.06 and :46.17, and was traveling nicely as they hit the quarter pole.

She kicked for home with a two-length advantage, but was looking for the wire as GII Golden Rod S. and GII Rachel Alexandra S. heroine Finite came with a menacing rail run in deep stretch. Venetian Harbor had just enough left in the tank to hold on, however, and punch her ticket to next month’s GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

“Our intention was to go to the Breeders’ Cup, but we felt this would be a good opportunity to get a race in her,” winning co-owner Joseph Ciaglia said. “I couldn’t be any happier today.”

He continued, “She’s great out of the gate. She’s tenacious, and that’s what you need to win some races. Gotta be quick out of the gate. Manny [Franco] did a great job getting out of the gate, and that was the key to the win.”

Franco added, “She’s happy when she’s on the lead. She showed it today. She’s a nice filly.”

Venetian Harbor rounded out the bottom half of the exacta in her last three trips to the post behind some heavy hitters. She was second to the mighty Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) in the GIII Fantasy S. at Oaklawn May 1, second to Speech (Mr Speaker) in the GI Central Bank Ashland S. July 11 and second behind ‘TDN Rising Star’ Gamine (Into Mischief) in the GI Longines Test S. last time Aug. 8.

Pedigree Notes:

Ashford sire Munnings nabbed the Raven Run exacta with 3-year-old daughters facing each other for the first time. Both Venetian Harbor and Finite are graded stakes winners of 2020 and join other current top sophomore filly and fellow graded winner Bonny South in the Speightstown son’s count of 17 graded winners and 42 black-type winners overall. Interestingly, Finite and Bonny South are both out of Tapit daughters, but Venetian Harbor is out of a daughter of Street Cry (Ire). Like Munnings, the late Street Cry had gotten plenty of good sons, but it was his daughters who really seemed to shine. As a broodmare sire, Street Cry has 77 black-type winners, including last year’s champion older male Vino Rosso (Curlin). Venetian Harbor is the second foal out of her dam, whose only foal since was a colt born this year by Oscar Performance. She was bred back to both Constitution and Speightstown for next term. Venetian Harbor’s fourth dam is Hall of Famer Safely Kept (Horatius), winner of the 1990 GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Saturday, Keeneland
LEXUS RAVEN RUN S.-GII, $200,000, Keeneland, 10-17, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:23.03, ft.
1–VENETIAN HARBOR, 120, f, 3, by Munnings
1st Dam: Sounds of the City, by Street Cry (Ire)
2nd Dam: Welcome Home, by Dixieland Band
3rd Dam: Safe Return, by Mr. Prospector
($110,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP; $205,000 RNA 2yo ’19 OBSAPR). O-Ciaglia Racing LLC, Highland Yard LLC, River Oak Farm & Domenic Savides; B-Colts Neck Stables LLC (KY); T-Richard Baltas; J-Manuel Franco. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 7-3-4-0, $503,400. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Finite, 120, f, 3, Munnings–Remit, by Tapit. ($200,000 2yo ’19 EASMAY). O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, Thomas J Reiman, William Dickson & Deborah A Easter; B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M Asmussen. $40,000.
3–Grand Cru Classe, 118, f, 3, Bernardini–Christmas Lass, by Lemon Drop Kid. ($137,000 Ylg ’18 FTKOCT; $335,000 2yo ’19 EASMAY). O-Speedway Stable LLC; B-Daniel J Burke (KY); T-William I Mott. $20,000.
Margins: NK, HF, NO. Odds: 1.60, 9.40, 20.10.
Also Ran: Reagan’s Edge, Tonalist’s Shape, Secondary Market, Four Graces, Secret Keeper. Scratched: Fair Maiden, Never Forget.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Saying ‘Grace’ In the Raven Run

A competitive group of 10 sophomore fillies line up in Saturday’s GII Lexus Raven Run S. at Keeneland. Among the expected favorites for the seven-furlong test is Whitham Thoroughbreds’ Four Graces (Majesticperfection). Trained by Ian Wilkes, the homebred has won four of five starts at the Raven Run distance, including Churchill’s GIII Dogwood S. in June followed by the GIII Beaumont S. over the local Beard Course July 10. Given some time off following that effort, she speed-loving filly weakened late to be second behind Sconsin (Include) in the Sept. 4 GII Eight Belles S. and most recently posted a bullet five-furlong move at Churchill in :59.20 at Oct. 8. Julien Leparoux, who has been in the saddle for all five on-the-board finishes, gets the call.

Also likely to join Four Graces on the front end early is Ciaglia Racing, Highland Yard, River Oak Farm and Dominic Savides’s Venetian Harbor (Munnings). A runaway winner of the GII Las Virgenes S. at Santa Anita in February, the Colts Neck Stables-bred filly finished behind Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) in the May 1 GIII Fantasy S. and played the bridesmaid again, this time behind Speech (Mr Speaker) in the July 11 GI Central Bank Ashland S. at Keeneland. In her most recent trip to the post, she found the talented Gamine (Into Mischief) seven lengths too tough in Saratoga’s GI Test S. Aug. 8.

“We are just trying to win a race; that’s the first thing,” said trainer Richard Baltas. “If she runs well and bounces out of the race OK, we will eye the [GI] Breeders’ Cup [Filly and Mare Sprint].”

Manny Franco has the mount on Venetian Harbor and will break from post position five.

Looking to regain some of her earlier form is Slam Dunk Racing, Doug Branham and Legacy Ranch’s Tonalist’s Shape (Tonalist), who began her career with five consecutive victories in one-turn races for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. The chestnut took six of seven starts in South Florida from September through May, including this winter’s GIII Forward Gal S. followed by the GII Davona Dale S. Off the board in the Mar. 28 GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, she bounced back to win the May 15 Hollywood Wildcat S. before finishing fourth in the nine-furlong GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga July 18. Most recently, Tonalist’s Shape was a troubled fifth in the GIII Charles Town Oaks Aug. 28.

“[The CT Oaks] was two turns and she did have trouble in that race,” Joseph said, referring to Tonalist’s Shape being checked approaching the sixteenth pole.”

He added, “There are no plans for her beyond this race. I am just curious to see how she would do back around one turn and hoping she will come back to her [good] form.”

Since the Charles Town Oaks, Tonalist’s Shape has worked twice at Gulfstream–a best-of-78 half-mile in :47.03 Sept. 27 and a best-of-seven 5/8ths in 1:00.62 Oct. 1.

“The two weeks between works was by design to keep her fresh,” Joseph explained.

The 3-year-old has been entered as a racing or broodmare prospect in Keeneland’s upcoming November Breeding Stock Sale and is catalogued as hip 155 in Book 1.

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Gamine Rolls To Daylight Victory In Test; 1:20.83 For Seven Panels Equals Stakes Record

Showing the same brilliance she demonstrated last out in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes that she won by 18 3/4 lengths, Michael Lund Petersen's Gamine romped to another daylight victory under John Velazquez in Saturday's Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The 3-year-old daughter of Into Mischief fought off Grade 2 winner Venetian Harbor through fractions of :22.70, :45.14 and 1:08.61 en route to a final clocking of 1:20.83 for seven furlongs on a fast track, equaling Lady Tak's stakes record in 2003 and falling two-fifths of a second short of the 1:20.40 Saratoga track record set in 1978 by Darby Creek Road.

Venetian Harbor held second, beaten seven lengths, with stakes winner Up in Smoke third, Grade 1 winner Spinaway winner Perfect Alibi fourth and Mrs. Danvers last in the field of five 3-year-olds fillies.

Venetian Harbor was the 1-5 favorite off her victory in the Acorn.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Gamine was picked out of the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale of 2-year-olds in training by bloodstock agent Donato Lanni on behalf of Petersen, a Baltimore-area resident. She won her debut at Santa Anita by 6 1/4 lengths on March 7, then was first across the wire by a neck in an Oaklawn allowance race May 2. She was subsequently disqualified from that win after a post-race test detected lidocaine, a disqualification that has been appealed to the Arkansas Racing Commission.

Baffert then shipped Gamine to New York twice from his southern California stable where she rolled to her two Grade 1 victories.

Gamine, out of the Kafwain mare, Peggy Jane, was bred in Kentucky by Grace Thoroughbred Holdings.

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