Venti Valentine and Manny Franco storm past the field to win Wednesday’s Johnstone Mile at Saratoga. NYRA Photo.
Final Furlong Racing Stable waited 12 years for their first stakes victory at Saratoga Race Course. They got that win Wednesday with Venti Valentine in the $125,000 Johnstone Mile Handicap.
“This horse has been everywhere. We put together Final Furlong in focus solely on New York-breds,” said Vincent Roth, co-founder of the partnership. “She took us to the Kentucky Oaks, just to come back here and win something like this on our home turf…we’re just over the moon right now.”
Owned by Final Furlong and Parkland Thoroughbreds, the 4-year-old Firing Line filly collected her fifth lifetime win and first in 2023. She also notched trainer Jorge Abreu’s second win of the day at Saratoga.
“She is a special horse to me,” Abreu said. “Having two wins in a day, it’s very special to me.”
The partnership, who also bred the filly out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Glory Gold along with Maspeth Stable, packed the winner’s circle to welcome their filly and jockey Manny Franco.
“We had maybe six or seven owners in there today, but we tell everybody to bring the family, bring the crew, bring your friends,” Roth said. “I think I might have met a couple people on the way [into the winners circle] that we pulled in too. It was great.”
Sunset Louise set the pace from the Wilson Chute, ticking off the opening quarter-mile in :24.33. Venti Valentine sat a ground saving fourth through a half-mile in :47.34 before beginning her run midway through the far turn.
Franco and the chestnut filly rounded Sunset Louise, Know It All Audrey and Timeless Journey as they hit the stretch, running three-quarters of a mile in 1:12.15. Venti Valentine battled a game Timeless Journey through the final furlong, going on to win by a half-length in 1:38.98. Post-time favorite Betsy Blue rallied to finish third, with Know It All Audrey fourth.
“At the quarter pole when she was picking up her momentum, I was feeling pretty confident then because there was nobody coming from behind,” Abreu said. “We had like 2 lengths in front of the six horse [Timeless Journey].”
Venti Valentine started her career with three wins in five starts, including the Maid of the Mist Stakes at Belmont and the Busher Invitational Stakes at Aqueduct. She finished second to champion Nest in the Grade 2 Demoiselle at Aqueduct on the way to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, where she endured a hard trip in the crowded field and finished 14th.
Venti Valentine, champion New York-bred 2-year-old filly in 2021, improved to 5-for-13 with two seconds and two thirds for $617,600 in earnings
Foaled at Schuylerville Thoroughbred Farm in Schuylerville, Venti Valentine is one of two stakes winners out of the winning Medaglia d’Oro mare Glory Gold, whose produce record includes multiple stakes winner Espresso Shot. That mare was also raced by Venti Valentine’s connections and trained by Abreu.
Espresso Shot was sold for $300,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November mixed sale three years after Final Furlong purchased Glory Gold carrying Venti Valentine for $13,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. They purchased that mare after being impressed with Espresso Shot, who they purchased for $69,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale.
The dam of four winners from five runners overall, Glory Gold is the dam of the New York-bred 2-year-old Omaha Beach filly Landed. Bred by Final Furlong Racing Stable and Maspeth Stable, that filly sold for $500,000 to Lael Stables at this year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale of selected yearlings. Glory Gold was bred to Munnings in 2022.
