Venetian Harbor Leads Munnings 1-2 in Raven Run
The Grade II Lexus Raven Run turned into the Munnings show on Saturday when the stallion’s two entries in the race finished within a neck of each other with Venetian Harbor (3f Munnings x Sounds of the City, by Street Cry) crossing the line in front of Finite.
Racing over seven furlongs on Keeneland’s dirt track, Venetian Harbor took control immediately to gallop around the track easily. It looked like Venetian Harbor would have no serious challenges until Finite found a hole in the final sixteenth but the wire came too late for that Munnings daughter.
Venetian Harbor crossed the line a neck in front of Finite with Competitive Edge’s Reagan’s Edge finishing only a nose behind the third place runner to give Coolmore sires three of the top four spots in the placings.
Trained by Richard Baltas for Ciaglia Racing, Highland Yard, River Oak Farm, and Domenic Savideas, Venetian Harbor has never finished worse than second in her seven starts with three victories. Crossing the $500,000 earnings mark on Saturday, Venetian Harbor has now won two Grade IIs and finished second in two Grade I races.
According to co-owner Joseph Ciaglia, the next stop for the Munnings 3-year-old is the Breeders’ Cup over this track in early November.
“Our intention was to go to the Breeders’ Cup, but we felt this would be a good opportunity to get a race in her. I couldn’t be any happier today,” Ciaglia said. “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. (Jockey) Manny (Franco) did a great job getting out of the gate, and that was the key to the win.”
Bred by Colts Neck Stables as the second foal out of multiple stakes placed Sounds of the City, Venetian Harbor hails from the family of dual Grade I winner and successful broodmare Safely Kept.
The filly’s dam is also a half-sister to stakes winner Pool Winner and out of the stakes winning mare Welcome Home, a granddaughter of the aforementioned Breeders’ Cup Sprint winning Safely Kept.
One of the top value sires in Kentucky, Munnings is the sire of 17 graded stakes winners, 42 stakes winners, and 69 stakes horses led by Grade I winners I’m a Chatterbox and El Deal.