Venezuelan Hug | Horse Racing Free Tips

Grade 3 Winner Venezuelan Hug Retired To Mill Creek Farm In New York

Graded stakes winner Venezuelan Hug, who ended his career with three straight victories in stakes company, will stand his first season in 2022 at Mill Creek Farm in Stillwater, N.Y. The 4-year-old son of Constitution out of the Giant's Causeway mare Downtown Diva will stand for $2,500 LFSN.

Bred by Orlyana Farm, Venezuelan Hug started his career in his native Florida with victories in two of his first four starts including a 5 1/2-length score in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on the grass April 25, 2020 at Gulfstream Park.

Venezuelan Hug won a nine-furlong allowance on the grass that summer at Saratoga Race Course, defeating eventual multiple stakes winner City Man. He started exclusively in stakes company from there and closed his career with victories in the Millions Turf Preview Stakes in November 2020 at Gulfstream Park West, Sunshine Turf Stakes in mid-January at Gulfstream and the Grade 3 Canadian Turf Stakes in late February at Gulfstream.

Venezuelan Hug retired with six wins in 10 starts and $252,830 in earnings for owners Spedale Family Racing and R. A. Hill Stable.

Bred on the same Constitution-Giant's Causeway cross as Group 1 classic winner Alaskan Queen, winner of the Polla de Potrancas, Venezuelan Hug hails from the family of Rare Perfume, Jaipur and What a Treat.

Venezuelan Hug is the first foal out of Downtown Diva, a half-sister to multiple stakes winner and $193,455-earner Winter, six-time winner and $158,153-earner Gray Phantom and four-time winner and $145,446-earner Downy Boy.

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Venezuelan Hug Finds Room Late To Capture Canadian Turf

Spedale Family Racing and R. A. Hill Stable's Venezuelan Hug, racing on the inside throughout, found a seam between horses nearing the wire and got his nose down to edge Olympic Runner in Saturday's $125,000 Canadian Turf (G3) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 55^th running of the 1 1/16-mile Canadian Turf for older turf horses was the fourth of nine stakes, eight graded, worth $1.475 million on a blockbuster 14-race program headlined by the $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) for 3-year-olds on the road to the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa March 27, and $200,000 Davona Dale (G2) featuring the seasonal debut of 2-year-old filly champion Vequist.

A 4-year-old by Constitution, Venezuelan Hug ($11) improved to 5-0 lifetime at the distance and gave jockey Junior Alvarado his second stakes win on the card, following Annex in the $100,000 Palm Beach. The winning time was 1:40.42 over a firm course.

Bizzee Channel, sent off at 25-1, set fractions of 23.69 seconds for a quarter-mile and 48.48 for the half under moderate pressure from Winters Back to his outside, with Fancy Liquor and Gear Jockey racing in behind and Alvarado saving ground along the rail in fifth to the inside of Olympic Runner.

Winters Back moved up and took a short lead over Bizzee Channel once straightened for home, while Olympic Runner swung to the outside to launch a bid while Alvarado bided his time on Venezuelan Hug. Olympic Runner appeared on the way to victory until Venezuelan Hug split Winters Back on his inside and Gear Jockey to earn his third consecutive win, all in stakes.

Olympic Runner edged 25-1 long shot Gear Jockey for second, with Winters Back fourth and 5-2 favorite Eons fifth.

$125,000 Canadian Turf (G3) Quotes

Winning trainer Danny Gargan (Venezuelan Hug): “I got a little concerned when he got stuck down in there. He's such a big horse, I was a little worried he wouldn't be able to get through. The only instructions I gave Junior was that he likes to make his run on the outside, but he's won a couple times on the inside now so he's maturing. He does really well pretty much everywhere we've had him, but he does love it down here. He likes two turns. He really digs in and gives you a big effort every time.”

“He's a really big horse, he's almost 17 hands, and I said just try to keep him out of trouble and when you ask him, he'll come running for you. I expected a big performance from him. I told [co-owner] Randy [Hill] to book his flight and come down here because he'll have a lot of fun today. He was lucky enough to win two today. It's kind of exciting when your owners can come to town and have a big day.”

Winning jockey Junior Alvarado (Venezuelan Hug): “That's what happens on the turf. Sometimes you get lucky and you get through it and you look like a hero. Sometimes you don't get through it and you look like the bad guy. I just was glad that I had the horse today. He pushed through it and made my job easier. I just had to go with him. He's such a cool horse.”

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Venezuelan Hug, Bienville Street Score Sunshine Turf Victories At Gulfstream Park

Spedale Family Racing LLC and R.A. Hill Stable's Venezuelan Hug, the 5-2 favorite under jockey Luis Saez, moved four-wide entering the stretch before driving past the leaders to win the $75,000 Sunshine Turf over Shamrocket Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

A 4-year-old colt by Florida Derby (G1) winner Constitution, Venezuelan Hug covered a firm 1 1 /16 miles in 1:40.02. It was the colt's fifth victory in nine starts. He previously won the Sunshine Turf Preview Nov. 21 at Gulfstream West and last summer an allowance race at Saratoga. Venezuelan Hug was claimed for $40,000 at Gulfstream last March.

“He's tough,” said trainer Danny Gargan. “We're happy to have him. My assistant Carol Fisher picked him out when we claimed him. He's a pretty fun horse.”

It was Proven Strategies who broke on top in the Sunshine Turf and the Toronto Cup winner posted some fast fractions of :22.65, :45.85 and 1:09.83 while Saez rated Venezuelan Hug fifth. Saez moved Venezuelan Hug four wide around the turn and drove past his eight opponents.

Bienville Street Wins Sunshine Filly & Mare Turf
CJ Thoroughbreds LLC's Bienville Street, trained by Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Cam Gambolati, drove to the lead down the stretch under jockey Paco Lopez to win the $75,000 Sunshine Filly & Mare Turf by a neck. Mo of the West finished second, a neck in front of Sun Summers, who finished a neck in front of Lovely Luvy.

A 6-year-old mare by Street Boss, Bienville Street got position from the 9 post going into the first turn of the 1 1/16-mile turf event and raced fourth while Sugar Fix set fractions of :24.19, :48.20 and 1:12.10 while being pressed by Mo of the West. Entering the stretch, Lopez guided Bienville Street three-wide and took aim on the leaders, driving past them inside the final eighth. Bienville Street covered the distance in 1:41.50.

It was Bienville Street's fifth win in 32 starts and second consecutive win since being equipped with blinkers by Gambolati, who saddled 1985 Kentucky Derby winner Spend a Buck.

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Saratoga Derby Top Three Meet Again in Open Belmont Derby

The first three across the wire in a blanket finish in the Saratoga Derby Invitational S. last month will reconvene along with some interesting new shooters in Saturday’s GI Belmont Derby Invitational S. at Big Sandy, a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Narrowly victorious at the Spa was Klaravich Stables’ Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}), given slight morning-line favoritism here at 5-2. Bought for 300,000 guineas at Tattersalls October in 2018, the gelding graduated on debut at even-money Feb. 12 at Tampa and repeated with a fast finish in a mile allowance here June 7. Left with too much to do when third in the GII Hall of Fame S. July 18 at the Spa, he showed tactical speed for the first time in the Saratoga Derby and ground out a head victory.

Just missing was runner-up Gufo (Declaration of War). Graduating at second asking Dec. 29 at Gulfstream, the chestnut scored last-to-first victories in an optional claimer and the English Channel S. there Mar. 27 and May 2, respectively before making it three in a row with a half-length success in the GIII Kent S. July 4 at Delaware.

Wertheimer et Frere’s No Word (Silent Name {Jpn}) was a debut winner last summer at Saratoga and finished fifth as the favorite in the GIII Pilgrim S. in his juvenile finale. Third in a pair of tries this summer, the dark bay narrowly annexed a local optional claiming July 9 before running third at 18-1 in the Saratoga Derby.

Two last-out stakes winners add to the fray. Moon Over Miami (Malibu Moon), who was briefly on the GI Kentucky Derby trail earlier this year, scored a Churchill allowance victory on grass June 20 before running fourth at 14-1 in the Hall of Fame and drawing in off the also-eligible list to take the Gun Runner Dueling Grounds Derby Sept. 10 at Kentucky Downs. Godolphin’s Pixelate (City Zip), second or third in five straight stakes tries as a 3-year-old–including a runner-up finish to Gufo in the Kent–surged late to get up by a head in the GII Del Mar Derby Sept. 6.

Rounding out the major contenders is Venezuelan Hug (Constitution). Claimed from Orlyana Farm and Alexis Delgado when running third in a $40,000 maiden claimer Mar. 25 at Gulfstream, the gray dominated Florida-bred maiden special weight rivals next out Apr. 25 and repeated in a starter optional claimer May 30. Not quite ready for prime time when last of six in the GII Pennine Ridge S. here June 20, he bounced back with a sharp allowance success Aug. 9 at Saratoga and shows a pair of bullet half-mile works over Saratoga’s Oklahoma turf for Danny Gargan in this return to stakes company.

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