India Mantuana wires field to upset Red Carpet Handicap

DEL MAR, Calif. – The initiative taken by jockey Tyler Baze and trainer Ray Bell with India Mantuana, and the reticence of rivals to follow in kind, helped propel India Mantuana to an 18-1 upset victory on Thursday at Del Mar in the Grade 3, $101,035 Red Carpet Handicap for older female grass runners.

Bell said he believed the best chance he had with India Mantuana in the 1 3/8-mile race was to make the top and and hope no one went with her. That came to fruition, as India Mantuana was able to open a commanding lead of eight lengths after six furlongs, and had enough to hold off challengers whose riders waited until it was too late. She completed 1 3/8 miles on firm turf in 2:14.50.

Indian Mantuana ($39.60) prevailed by a half-length over 11-1 shot Siberian Iris, with 6-5 favorite Vexatious and rags-to-riches story Escape Clause finishing in a dead heat for third, another half-length back. The loss ended a nine-race winning streak for Escape Clause.

Pantsonfire was fifth and was followed, in order, by Lucy De, The Tulip, and So Hi Society. Victress was scratched earlier in the day.

“She just took Tyler to the lead. Everybody else decided to take back, lay off her,” Bell said. “That was the only chink in her armor, if somebody would have gone with her and softened her up.”

Bell claimed Indian Mantuana on behalf of owner Richard Bell – no relation – for $40,000 here on Aug. 22 when she won a 1 3/8-mile claiming race. In her only start after that, she was fourth going one mile in a second-level allowance at Santa Anita.

“Tyler said she needed more ground. It was a little sharp for her,” Ray Bell said. “She doesn’t have that real acceleration. She’s a real staying-type filly”

The $60,000 winner’s share means Team Bell is out on the claim, and the residual value of Indian Mantuana increased significantly because now the 4-year-old daughter of Wilburn is a graded stakes winner.

“I’m delighted for the owner,” said Ray Bell, who has trained for Richard Bell since the retirement of veteran trainer Tom Blincoe five years ago. “A graded stakes-winning mare is a valuable asset.”

Ray Bell said India Mantuana interested him as a claim because she already had been stakes-placed when based on the East Coast. She had several trainers – including Antonio Sano, Chad Brown, and Brad Cox – before coming to California earlier this year with Phil d’Amato, for whom she made three second-level allowance starts before she was dropped into the claiming race from which Bell took her.

India Mantuana has now won six times in 24 starts and has career earnings of $222,047.