DEL MAR, Calif. - For a mare who specializes in turf marathons, Mrs. Astor showed the acceleration of a sprinter to steal a win in Sunday’s Grade 3 Red Carpet Stakes at Del Mar. Mrs. Astor’s chances in the $102,000 Red Carpet Stakes looked grim on the turn and in early stretch. Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Mrs. Astor was sixth on the inside, and lacked racing room. She was rapidly running out of time to reach the front. When space developed with a furlong remaining, Mrs. Astor rallied through a gap between Public Assembly and Will Then. She closed 2 1/2 lengths in the final furlong to win by a neck over an unlucky Public Assembly, who was ridden by Antonio Fresu. “I could see Antonio was the horse to beat,” Rispoli said. “I was begging for the gap. I had no shot to go outside. “She really sprints well.” :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Mrs. Astor, a 5-year-old mare owned and bred by Augustin Stable and trained by Jonathan Thomas, became the first two-time winner of the Red Carpet Stakes, a race first run in 2014. Sent off favored, Mrs. Astor ($5.40) ran 1 3/8 miles on turf in 2:06.79 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 91. Rispoli and Thomas agreed that a ground-saving trip would best suit Mrs. Astor, Rispoli said. For the first mile, Rispoli had Mrs. Astor in fifth or sixth, tracking stablemate Will Then, who set a modest pace of 24.95 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 49.89 for a half-mile. Will Then, supplemented to the Red Carpet Stakes for $1,000, held a half-length lead in the stretch but could not maintain the advantage. Public Assembly, winner of the Grade 3 Royal Heroine Stakes at a mile on turf at Santa Anita in April, took the lead in the final furlong. Public Assembly (4-1) ran an exceptional race in defeat, finishing 1 1/2 lengths in front of 7-2 Paradise Lake. “I had the perfect race,” Fresu said. “She was game. I just got beat by a better filly.” Sun Of Hill finished fourth, followed by Will Then, Venganza, Cornelia Fort, Hey Jessie and Musical Rhapsody. Mrs. Astor, who is by Lookin at Lucky, has won 7 of 21 starts and earned $567,235. The Red Carpet Stakes was Mrs. Astor’s fifth stakes win. She won the Grade 3 Robert Frankel Stakes at Santa Anita last December, and two stakes earlier this year – the Santa Barbara and Possibly Perfect stakes at Santa Anita in May and June. Sunday’s Red Carpet Stakes was Mrs. Astor’s first start since a third-place finish as the even-money favorite in the CTT-TOC Stakes at Del Mar in August. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.