Baltas pair look strong in Monrovia, but face questions

ARCADIA, Calif. – Uncertainty reigns coast to coast on Saturday.

While bettors ponder which 3-year-old is likely to stay 1 1/2 miles in the Belmont Stakes, the Grade 2 Monrovia Stakes at Santa Anita also includes unresolved challenges.

Two top contenders in the filly-mare turf sprint, likely favorite Venetian Harbor and her Richard Baltas-trained stablemate Nasty, face potentially compromising conditions.

Venetian Harbor, a dirt sprinter, has not raced on grass since a modest runner-up finish in the first start of her career in 2019. Nasty, a turf miler, has not sprinted since she finished off the board in her first two starts more than a year ago.

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Compounding the uncertainty is Venetian Harbor and Nasty both are racing for the first time this year. While footing, distance, and layoff might not matter in the 6 1/2-furlong Monrovia, six other entrants hope the comebackers are vulnerable.

The field includes stakes winner Superstition, the likely pacesetter, and late-running stakes winners Constantia and Gypsy Spirt. Other entrants are allowance winner Never for Money, along with longshots She’s So Special and Trickle In. The principals in the $200,000 Monrovia are Baltas stablemate comebackers Nasty and Venetian Harbor.

Baltas will be at Belmont Park on Saturday to saddle Masteroffoxhounds in the Grade 1 Manhattan. Before arriving in New York midweek, Baltas expressed confidence that Venetian Harbor and Nasty both will fire in the Monrovia.

Venetian Harbor is the class of the field, a two-time Grade 2 winner and two-time Grade 1-placed. But she has not started since finishing last in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint last year. The question Saturday: Is she as effective on turf?

“Venetian [Harbor] can definitely turf,” Baltas stated. “She ran on it her first start.”

That was November 2019, after which she switched to dirt and went on a tear by winning three dirt races and finishing second in three others. Mario Gutierrez rides Venetian Harbor, who has earned $513,400 from eight starts.

Nasty is less accomplished, but established on turf and much improved since joining the Baltas stable last fall. She finished third in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss, a turf mile, and two starts later won a minor turf stakes. Her last six starts were routes. Can she sprint?

“Nasty has natural speed and is training great, so I think the cutback will fit her,” Baltas stated.

Trevor McCarthy rides Nasty, who posted three successive bullet workouts at San Luis Rey Downs and Santa Anita before slowing down in her final work last weekend.

If the Baltas duo are upset, it might be by the pacesetter. Superstition finished second to Constantia last out in a minor stakes, but the speedy Superstition ran the best race. She dueled through a blazing pace, put away two rivals including favorite Leggs Galore, who finished last, and got collared late.

Superstition faces less heat Saturday and could be long gone under Abel Cedillo. Constantia will be rallying late under Umberto Rispoli.