Venetian Harbor wins Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland

Richard Baltas trains some of his horses at the San Luis Rey Training Center but also ships those horses to various tracks. On Oct. 17, Venetian Harbor won the Grade 2 Lexus Raven Run Stakes race at the Keeneland track in Lexington, Kentucky, and on the final day of the Santa Anita Park fall meet Saturday, Oct. 24, One Bad Boy won the Lure Stakes.

Both horses led for the entire race. Venetian Harbor won the Raven Run Stakes, which was seven furlongs on the dirt, in 1 minute 23.03 seconds. One Bad Boy had a winning time of 1:33.07 in the one-mile turf race.

Eight horses participated in the Raven Run Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. Venetian Harbor and jockey Manuel Franco broke first. The initial quarter of a mile took Venetian Harbor 23.06 seconds, and she held a one-length lead over second-place Reagan's Edge and a 1 1/2 length lead over third-place Grand Cru Classe. The order of the top three horses and their margins were unchanged after half a mile, a point Venetian Harbor reached 46.17 seconds after the start of the race.

Venetian Harbor entered the stretch 1:10.34 after the starter's gate was opened. She held a two-length lead over Grand Cru Classe, who had moved into second.

Finite passed two of the three horses in front of her during the stretch. Venetian Harbor won the race by a neck with Finite crossing the finish line half a length in front of Grand Cru Classe, who finished a nose ahead of Reagan's Edge.

"She ran a great race. We're very happy," Baltas said. "She's come in second a couple of times so it's good to get the win."

The Raven Run Stakes race was the third win for Venetian Harbor in seven career starts. She finished second in her first career race at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Nov. 15, 2019. Baltas also trained winner Aqua Seaform Shame, who beat Venetian Harbor by three-quarters of a length in the five-furlong turf race.

Venetian Harbor broke her maiden with a win at Santa Anita Dec. 29, 2019, and completed the six-furlong dirt race 10 3/4 lengths ahead of the second-place filly. Her first stakes race was the Grade 2 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita Feb. 8, 2020, and she won that one-mile dirt race by 9 1/4 lengths.

"She's been first or second in all of her starts, so she's very consistent," Baltas said.

The purse at Keeneland brought her career earnings to $503,400. First place in the Raven Run Stakes was worth $120,000 of the $200,000 total purse.

"I think it's a good prep because she ran on the track the Breeders' Cup's at," Baltas said.

Baltas expects the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint to be the next race for Venetian Harbor.

"She likes the surface," Baltas said.

Venetian Harbor was foaled in Kentucky March 7, 2017. She has Munnings as her sire and Sounds of the City as her dam.

Jockey Flavien Prat rode One Bad Boy in the Lure Stakes for 3-year-olds and upward. They broke first with Gregorian Chant and rider Juan Hernandez breaking second.

"He broke well," Baltas said.

One Bad Boy completed the first quarter of a mile in 22.68 seconds and was a length in front of second-place The Black Album, a San Luis Rey gelding trained by Peter Miller, at that point. The first half mile took One Bad Boy 45.53 seconds, and after four furlongs he led The Black Album by half a length.

One Bad Boy entered the stretch 1:21.29 after the race began. The ridgling held a 1 1/2-length lead over Gregorian Chant, who led third-place Majestic Eagle by 1 1/2 lengths.

Majestic Eagle passed Gregorian Chant in the stretch. One Bad Boy crossed the finish line three-quarters of a length in front of Majestic Eagle.

"It was great," Baltas said of winning a stakes race on the final day of the meet.

One Bad Boy was foaled in Ontario, Canada, April 4, 2016. He was sired by Twirling Candy out of Cumulonimble. The win was his third in eight career starts.

The Lure Stakes was the second stakes race in which One Bad Boy finished first. His other stakes win was the June 2019 Queen's Plate Stakes at the Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. The Queen's Plate Stakes is the first race in the Canadian Triple Crown.

The second race in the Canadian Triple Crown is the Prince of Wales Stakes at the Fort Erie Race Track in Ontario, which is 1 3/16 miles on the dirt. In July 2019 One Bad Boy led the Prince of Wales Stakes for the first three-quarters of a mile before finishing third.

"He had a little problem and we put him on the sidelines for six months, seven months," Baltas said.

His next race was Aug. 29, 2020, at Del Mar. The allowance race was 1 1/16 miles. Gregorian Chant won that race. One Bad Boy finished fourth.

"We got him ready for the race here," Baltas said.

Baltas did not detect any physical problems with One Bad Boy the day after the Lure Stakes.

"He looked pretty good this morning, so we're happy with him," Baltas said.

One Bad Boy had 10 timed workouts as a 2-year-old in 2018, all at San Luis Rey. He had one additional workout at San Luis Rey in 2019 and has also had timed workouts at Santa Anita, Del Mar and Woodbine.

"San Luis Rey's a great foundation," Baltas said.

Not including California-bred incentives the total purse of the Lure Stakes was $70,000. The $42,900 first-place share increased One Bad Boy's career earnings to $599,632.

The Nov. 28 Seabiscuit Handicap at Del Mar is a Grade 2 stakes race, and Baltas is anticipating that as the next race for One Bad Boy.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].