EM SANTA ANITA

Improving Warren's Veneda Wins Santa Maria
By Jeremy Balan

Warren's Veneda claimed her first graded stakes victory with a wide closing drive in the $200,000 Santa Maria Stakes (gr. II) Feb. 14 at Santa Anita Park, continuing a path of improvement for the 5-year-old mare by Affirmative (VIDEO).

After a close second in the Bayakoa Stakes (gr. II) Dec. 6 at Los Alamitos Racecourse, the California-bred out of Flying Continental dam More Cal Bread rallied sharply to win the listed Paseana Stakes Jan. 11. She gained ground late again in the 1 1/16-mile Santa Maria to finish 2 3/4 lengths ahead of 52-1 shot Uzziel in 1:43.18 on a fast dirt track.

Owned by her breeder Benjamin Warren and trained by Craig Lewis, Warren's Veneda was the slight second choice to third-place finisher Thegirlinthatsong, both at 9-5, and paid $5.60, $3.40 and $2.60. Thegirlinthatsong, the 123-pound topweight, finished third and paid $2.60, a half length behind Uzziel, who brought in $38.40 and $11.60. The exacta returned $287, while the $1 trifecta was worth $326.50.

Jockey Tyler Baze sat in last place with Warren's Veneda in the eight-horse field coming out of the first turn, then improved to seventh on the backstretch as a pair of Bob Baffert-trained runners, Awesome Baby and Sweet Marini, dueled for the lead. The leading duo, both owned by Kaleem Shah, took turns on the front, running the quarter in :23.47, the half in :46.66 and six furlongs in 1:10.76 before fading badly in the stretch.

"Going into the first turn, I thought about taking her back and dropping her in, but I told myself to just have the confidence, and I knew she was the best in the field," Baze said. "I lost a little ground, which I really don't like doing, but she was the best."

Baze had to take the winning mare four wide into the first turn and four wide again coming out of the final turn, but they gained the lead in the stretch and won clear.

"I guess when you're the best horse, that's what you do," Lewis said of the wide trip. "I was a little uncomfortable with her being that wide. I've seen too many races in my life (and) it takes a very good horse to overcome that trip."

Warren's Veneda pushed her career earnings to $587,612 with the win, worth $120,000, and improved her record to 7-3-5 in 21 starts.

Gatto Racing's Texas-bred Thegirlinthatsong was coming off a decisive win in the La Canada Stakes (gr. II) Jan. 17, but jockey Rafael Bejarano could not rouse the favored 4-year-old filly enough late after trailing in sixth after a half mile and fourth in the stretch.

"She broke really well, but I knew it wasn't going to be the same race as last time," Bejarano said. "There wasn't too much speed in (the La Canada), but there was a lot of speed today. I knew a few horses were going to show speed, so I put her where she was comfortable—up close—and I stayed three or four lengths behind. She made a run, but Warren's Veneda was much the best today."

Legacy, Valiant Emilia, Sweet Marini, Yahilwa, and Awesome Baby completed the order of finish. Tiz Midnight, who lost to Warren's Veneda in the Paseana but beat the mare in the Bayakoa, was scratched from the race early, and Backintheacademy was also a scratch Saturday.

Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/90156/improving-warrens-veneda-wins-santa-maria#ixzz3Rote0zBH