Victim of Love's Bed o' Roses chances improve after Chub Wagon and Piedi Bianchi scratch
The Friday morning scratch of unbeaten Chub Wagon changed the complexion of the Grade 3, $300,000 Bed o’ Roses on Friday at Belmont Park, removing from the field a filly who had won six straight and appeared to have a pace advantage in the seven-furlong race, which goes as race 8 on the 11-race card.
Chub Wagon’s absence – along with the scratch of Piedi Bianchi - left a field of six older female sprinters, most notably Victim of Love, who cruised to an easy victory defending her title in the Grade 3 Vagrancy going 6 1/2 furlongs May 8, making her 2 for 2 at Belmont. Joel Rosario, aboard for the Vagrancy, rides back.
“She usually gets more time between races, but she’s doing good and I think she’ll make a good effort,” said her trainer, Todd Beattie.
Estilo Talentoso has turned in the two best performances of her life in her last two starts to rank as a major player. She dead-heated for second in the Grade 1 Madison a Keeneland April 3 before finishing third in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs behind the victorious Gamine, earning a Beyer of 95 both times. Sconsin, second in the Derby City, returned to win at Churchill last weekend.
Bayerness moves back into graded stakes company following a late-running allowance victory in her 2021 debut last month at Churchill in which she earned a career-best Beyer of 88.
Alandra is also coming off a career top, earning an 88 in a one-turn mile against allowance company May 15 at Belmont, where she is 2 for 2.
Lake Avenue cuts back to seven furlongs after disappointing as the favorite in the Grade 2 Ruffian going a mile May 2.
“She can get a mile, but she didn’t get a mile very well last time,” said her trainer, Bill Mott. “It seems like seven-eighths is a good distance for her at this point.”
Pacific Gale was third in the Vagrancy, behind Victim of Love.
The Bed o’ Roses is named for the two-time champion of the mid-20th Century who won 18 of 46 starts, including 9 of an amazing 21 starts merely at age 2 in 1949. She was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1976.
- additional reporting by David Grening