Millionaire pacing mare Venus Delight passed away on the morning of Wednesday, April 17 at Kentuckiana Farms.
Current owner Brad Grant told Trot Insider that Venus Delight tragically passed away after giving birth to a beautiful Stay Hungry filly. The 14-year-old broodmare was by Bettors Delight out of the Run The Table mare Venus Killean. From five other foals, three have raced including Pennsylvania stakes winner My Hungry Girl (p, 3, 1:51.1f [$116,338]).
"She just had a tough birth and luckily the folks at Kentuckiana were able to save the foal, a beautiful filly," said Grant.
During her own racing career, Venus Delight was a multiple Grand Circuit stakes winner with her five-year-old campaign in 2015 being her best by far. That year, she earned $653,174 as the richest pacing mare of the season and was named the Dan Patch Award divisional winner and an O'Brien Award finalist while trained by Jeff Bamond Jr. Her victories included the Milton Stakes, Blue Chip Matchmaker Series final and Artiscape Pace in a 1:49.4 lifetime mark over Vernon Downs that she matched in the TVG Mares Pace at The Meadowlands. She also finished third in the Breeders Crown and Lady Liberty that year and went on to win the Betsy Ross Pace the following spring.
Grant, who purchased Venus Delight from The Black Book Mixed Sale in November 2016, retired the mare from racing in early 2018. In total, she earned 30 victories, 15 seconds and 23 thirds from 107 starts while banking $1,203,590 during her career.
"I didn't own her that long as a race mare. Actually, when I bought her, I figured I'd race her for one year and breed her. And that's kind of what we did," noted Grant. "She's had some success in the breeding shed. Her first good filly was My Hungry Girl, which I've just sold as a broodmare, and she's got some real nice looking foals ahead of her. Better Stay Hungry, we're hoping he'll have a good year this year. And she's got a two-year-old filly coming and two other fillies after that. We'll keep our fingers crossed."
Venus Delight was bred by the Estate of George F. Hempt and her other trainers throughout her racing career included Michael Medors, Jeff Rose, Frank Podlenski, Paul Fraley, Tony Alagna and Richard Moreau.
"She was a good race mare, she made $1.2 million and I think finished in the top three like almost 70 per cent of her races. And, you know, a record of 1:49 and change, for a mare back in 2015, that was a big mile."
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Venus Delight.
(Standardbred Canada)