Fanticola breaks through in Royal Heroine

ARCADIA, Calif. – Forget the nose loss to Queen of The Sand in the Grade 2 Santa Barbara Handicap on April 18, or the neck loss to Hard Not to Like in the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes on May 25.

Fanticola put those tough defeats into the past when she won the first graded stakes of her career in Saturday’s $201,000 Royal Heroine Stakes at Santa Anita. The win ended months of frustration for trainer Phil D’Amato and owners Tony Fanticola and Joe Scardino.

“No more seconds,” D’Amato said as he left the winner’s circle following the Grade 2 race for fillies and mares. “This is vindication for the last two. She’s improving.”

Ridden by Joe Talamo, Fanticola ($10.20) was always near the front, stalking pacesetter Birdlover, the 3-1 second choice. Fanticola took the lead in the final furlong and was pressed to the wire, finishing a neck in front of 2-1 favorite Queen of The Sand.

“She settled great off the other filly and ran a great race,” Talamo said.

Fanticola ran a mile on turf in 1:36.76. She was never farther than a half-length behind Birdlover, who set fractions of 23.44 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 48 seconds for a half-mile. Queen of The Sand closed from seventh with a determined run to just miss.

Stormy Lucy, who was last of nine with a quarter-mile to go, finished third, followed by Alexis Tangier, Famous Alice, Blingismything, Generosidade, Birdlover, and One More.

Fanticola, a 5-year-old mare by the Sunday Silence stallion Silent Name, has won 5 of 17 starts and earned $468,300. She won the first stakes of her career in the minor Megahertz Stakes at a mile on turf in January. Fanticola has been second or third in six stakes in her career.