Pink Venom kicks on late for first stakes win in $175K Stewart Manor
Team Valor International’s Pink Venom made her stakes and stateside debut a winning one in Saturday’s $175,000 Stewart Manor, a six-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies moved from the inner turf course to the Tapeta, at Belmont Park.
Trained by Johnny Murtagh, the daughter of Soldier’s Call extended her win streak to four following a trio of open-lengths handicap victories in September and October – all at six furlongs on turf – in her native Ireland.
Expertly handled by Jamie Spencer, Pink Venom was squeezed at the start and relegated to last-of-11 well off the pace set by Legacy Lady, who was hustled to the front to take command from Queen Celine before that foe poked her head in front through the opening quarter-mile in 22.49 seconds.
“It probably wasn’t the way we thought it would end up, the European horses aren’t as quick away from the gate and you could see she wasn’t just into stride,” Murtagh said of the troubled break.
Pink Venom was still last turning for home with the longshot Queen Celine clinging to the lead through the half-mile in 46.03, but a host of pursuers lined up in the center of the course with Pink Venom angling out and accelerating between rivals, and the favored Brickyard Belle quickly making up ground widest of all from ninth position under Manny Franco.
Fanshell Beach briefly hit the front after five furlongs in 58.05, but the outside pair had the superior momentum and Pink Venom drove clear to the three-quarter-length victory over a game Brickyard Belle in a final time of 1:09.71.
“I’m a bit old for those gaps, but we found a seam, and it worked out great,” Spencer said, with a laugh.
Yuquot got up for third by 1 3/4 lengths over Fanshell Beach with Winchester Road, Queen Celine, Zomoroda, Sun Valley, Bittersweet Memory, Legacy Lady and Battle Queen completing the order of finish. Scabiosa was scratched.
Murtagh, who won the 1995 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile here as a jockey aboard Ridgewood Pearl, said Pink Venom’s late foot is her best weapon.
“Jamie said between the two bends she came up into stride and he went in between horses. He needed a gap and when he got it, she has a great turn-of-foot,” Murtagh said. “I was a bit worried if she would have that turn-of-foot on the Tapeta, but she’s been skipping across it all week. You’re going to see the best of her, going forward, at six and seven furlongs on turf over here.
“To come back to the new Belmont track – I have special memories of this track – so to come back and win a stakes is very satisfying,” he added.
Spencer said Murtagh’s confidence in his filly kept him from worrying about the trouble at the start.
“At the start I got bumped from inside and out, so it put me on the backfoot. You just have to be patient and trust what the trainer says – he said she was in really good form and had a good turn-of-foot, the only unknown was the surface,” said Spencer, who like Murtagh, is also a Grade 1-winning rider at Belmont Park with top-flight scores aboard Cape Blanco in 2011 in the Man o' War and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational as well as with Deauville in the 2016 Belmont Derby Invitational.
Pink Venom, a half-sister to Listed stakes-winner Rebel Diamond out of the Teofilo mare Periwinkle, was bred in Ireland by Funcheon Bloodstock and was purchased for $99,683 from Book 1 of the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale. She banked $96,250 for her Stewart Manor victory while returning $10.46 on a $2 win bet, and the filly is expected to be transferred to the care of trainer Amelia Green to continue her stateside campaign.
Runner-up Brickyard Belle – winner of the local Grade 3 Matron in October – returned just two weeks after running off-the-board in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland, and Franco said he was pleased to see the Miguel Clement trainee put forth a good performance again with her usual late foot.
“I was comfortable where I was and she always runs that way, too,” Franco said. “I didn’t rush her. I took my time, but the winner had a lot of horse - I had him in, and he pushed his way in and he had so much horse.
“From running in the Breeders’ Cup two weeks ago, to this performance today, it’s great. I like the way she ran,” he concluded.
Live racing resumes Sunday at Belmont Park with an eight-race card. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.
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