Kentucky Oaks 2020: Venetian Harbor to skip 'pretty salty' race

If the definition of insanity is repeating something over and over and hoping for a different result, then trainer Richard Baltas seems to be a man possessed of all his faculties.

His filly Venetian Harbor has run up against the best 3-year-old fillies in the division, one at a time, and she has finished second to each of them. So why go against them again next week in the Kentucky Oaks?

“We’re going to skip the race in Kentucky,” Baltas said. “We just didn’t want to run in the Oaks. We didn’t want to push her. She’s fine. We’re trying to get her ready for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint if we can get there.”

In her last three races, Venetian Harbor finished second to Swiss Skydiver, Speech and this month to Gamine.

Once the futures favorite to win the Oaks, she has drifted to 20-1 in foreign futures after those three losses by a combined 12 1/2 lengths.

The prospect of going against Gamine (1-2 in Oaks futures), Swiss Skydiver (7-2) and Speech (12-1) again in one race seemed foolhardy to Baltas.

“They’re going to go bang heads,” he said Monday afternoon in a telephone interview from California. “I don’t want to go run against Gamine or Swiss Skydiver or Speech. We’ve already done that. I think the Oaks is coming up pretty salty.”

Then Baltas made the declaration that might explain why the Oaks field has dwindled to 10 while underscoring his respect for the big three.

“They probably could beat colts.”

They are also the quintessence of late bloomers that were not even in the conversation when Venetian Harbor won the Las Virgenes (G2) at Santa Anita. That was February, and she was a 9-2 favorite in Oaks futures overseas.

Then came the coronavirus, the shutdown of racing at Venetian Harbor’s home track, Santa Anita, and the postponement of the Oaks from May 1 to Sept. 4.

“Everything changed,” Baltas said. “We were looking at the Oaks before it was suspended. Gamine was just getting to be a maiden. I don’t think she had even ran yet.”

He is right. Gamine’s debut victory was still a month away. At the time, Swiss Skydiver and Speech were still just maiden winners.

When she had a place to race again in May, Venetian Harbor was a 9-10 favorite in the Fantasy (G3) at Oaklawn Park, where Swiss Skydiver was a 16-1 winner. Then came the Ashland (G1) last month at Keeneland, where she was 3-5 only to finish three lengths up the track from 4-1 third choice Speech.

Baltas thought that a trip to Saratoga and a cutback to seven furlongs this month would be a confidence builder for Venetian Harbor and her connections.

“We were hoping we were going to win a Grade 1 in the Test,” Baltas said. “And then Gamine showed up.”

Arguably the best 3-year-old in Bob Baffert’s barn, Gamine was coming off her record 18 3/4-length victory in the Acorn (G1). As a 3-10 favorite, she toyed with Venetian Harbor for the first half of the race before putting it away in the turn for home. As Gamine cruised, Venetian Harbor finished seven lengths up the track.

“We gave her the shot,” Baltas said. “She ran a good race.”

Since her return to Baltas’ barn at Del Mar, Venetian Harbor has not been out for a timed work. After her four graded-stakes starts resulted in a win and three seconds against the best in her division, she is getting what Baltas said is a well-deserved rest.

“Sometimes the horses tell you what to do,” he said. “It’s not like she’s sore or anything. It’s just been a tough campaign. Sometimes when you have a really good horse, you’ve got to just take your time with them.”

Thinking about the Breeders’ Cup in a little more than two months, Baltas was measured when he said in conclusion: “Hopefully, she runs at Keeneland.”