Last spring, Lady of Venice made her North American debut in the Appalachian at Keeneland, and proceeded to defeat a cast that included May Night and J’ray.

This afternoon at Keeneland, with the Appalachian carded as the feature event, much attention will be given to the fourth race, where Lady of Venice makes her 4-year-old seasonal debut in a conditional allowance.

Lady of Venice was a stylish winner of the Grade 3 Regret last summer at Churchill Downs, and followed that up with a pair of decent efforts at Saratoga in defeat.

In the Diana, over the boggy going, Lady of Venice was hung wide every step of the way, and came up just one length short while finishing fifth behind Angara.

In the Lake Placid, Lady of Venice was simply a victim of pace in the short field, and had no chance of reeling in eventual champion Wait a While.

Trainer Patrick Biancone has said that there was no reason that caused the extended vacation for Lady of Venice, but that he simply wanted to give her time. With Gorella retired, Lady of Venice may prove worthy of fulfilling that presence in this summer’s major turf events… and that road begins today.