Venti Valentine smashes her four foes in Saturday’s Busher Invitational to get on the Kentucky Oaks trail. Chelsea Durand/NYRA Photo.
By Tom Law
Venti Valentine returned to her native New York in late February and by early March she and her connections found themselves on the road to the Kentucky Oaks.
The daughter of Firing Line all but locked up her spot in the field for the May 6 Oaks at Churchill Downs with a dominating 7-length victory in Saturday’s $250,000 Busher Invitational Stakes at Aqueduct. Off since her close second in the Grade 2 Demoiselle in early December at Aqueduct, Venti Valentine earned 50 points toward a spot in the Oaks field and added to her bankroll for trainer Jorge Abreu and owners NY Final Furlong Racing and Parkland Thoroughbreds.
Manny Franco rode the chestnut filly for the first time in the afternoon and came away impressed.
“She’s a nice filly. She’s improving every time she runs,” Franco said. “I worked her last time and she went a half-mile, so I got to know her. She was ready for the race.”
Venti Valentine started her career with an overland come-from-behind victory in a 6-furlong New York-bred maiden in late September at Belmont before returning a month later to win the $242,500 Maid of the Mist Stakes on a sloppy track on Empire Showcase Day. She earned a trip to open company after that victory and finished second, beaten only a neck by recent Suncoast Stakes and Kentucky Oaks contender Nest, in the 9-furlong Demoiselle.
Abreu shipped Venti Valentine south to his wintertime base at Palm Meadows Training Center after the Demoiselle. She breezed four times over the Palm Meadows main track, including a 5-furlong work in 1:02.45 Feb. 11 before returning to New York. She breezed once more, a half in :49.87 on the Belmont training track, Sunday to tighten up for the 1-mile Busher.
The weeks and days leading up to the Busher didn’t come without some hesitation.
“I was a little concerned about her because we missed two breezes with her,” Abreu said. “She got sick on me after we breezed her the first time. She spiked a temperate of 102 and I didn’t breeze her. She really came into the race with four breezes. Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] breezed her three times over the five-eighths or three-quarters [at Palm Meadows] and he was pretty happy with her. I had Manny breeze her here and she breezed well over the training track.”
Sent off the 5-1 fourth choice in the field of five, Venti Valentine raced fourth early while Magic Circle and Radio Days sparred through the opening quarter-mile in :24.23. Franco inched Venti Valentine up to third approaching the half in :48.19 as Magic Circle continued to lead by a half-length from 1-2 favorite Radio Days.
Franco gave Venti Valentine her cue midway around the turn and she responded, circling past the two leaders and took the lead in the stretch. She opened up in a snap, leading by 2 lengths in midstretch before pouring it on late to win in 1:39.65. Shotgun Hottie, the longest shot on the board 22-1, passed the tiring front runners for the runner-up spot with Magic Circle third, Radio Days fourth and Sterling Silver fifth.
“I know this filly was going to run a good race,” Abreu said. “I’m not going to lie, I didn’t know she was going to win that easy. She ran a really good race. She’s been a classy horse since Day 1. She’s been showing that she has a lot of determination and a lot of talent. She showed it today.”
Bred by Final Furlong Racing Stable and Maspeth Stable and foaled at Schuylerville Thoroughbred Farm in Schuylerville, Venti Valentine is the second stakes winner produced by Glory Gold along with Espresso Shot. Venti Valentine’s connections also campaigned Espresso Shot, a multiple stakes winner of $516,625 who sold for $300,000 to Spendthrift Farm at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November mixed sale.
Final Furlong Racing purchased Espresso Shot for $69,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. A year later they bought Glory Gold, carrying Venti Valentine in utero, for $13,000 at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale. She’s produced four winners.
“This is a better horse than Espresso Shot,” Abreu said. “Not for nothing, but she just shows more determination than Espresso Shot. Espresso Shot looked like she loved Aqueduct and her distance was limited. This filly – the farther she goes, the better she’ll be.”
Abreu said the Grade 3 Gazelle April 9 at Aqueduct, which offers 100 points to the winner toward a spot in the Kentucky Oaks field, would be Venti Valentine’s next start. Venti Valentine earned $137,500 for the Busher win to boost her earnings to $366,250.
