Ogle deserves a long look in Juvenile Fillies Turf
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She won her debut on Aug. 14 in an appealing way. She has a big brother who is an outstanding 3-year-old, and she has been an eager filly in the mornings in the last few weeks.
There seem to be many positive angles to suggest Ogle can win her second start in Sunday’s $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf for 2-year-olds at a mile.
“She seems more aggressive in her training,” trainer Michael McCarthy said.
Ogle, who is by Oscar Performance, is a half-sister to Stark Contrast, who went past $1 million in earnings when he won the Grade 1 American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 2. Ogle and Stark Contrast race for John and Jerry Amerman.
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Ogle was overlooked at 6-1 in a maiden race at a mile on turf at Del Mar on Aug. 14. Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Ogle closed from last of six to win by 2 3/4 lengths. McCarthy is hopeful Ogle has the same sort of journey in a field of nine.
“That’s what you’re looking for – that she’s sits and makes a big run like the other day,” he said.
Ogle will have a new rider in Juan Hernandez, who worked the filly a half-mile in 49.40 seconds on dirt on Aug. 29. Rispoli will ride Vanta, an equally promising filly who won her debut in a maiden race at five furlongs on turf on July 31.
“She’s training really good,” trainer Jeff Mullins said. “We’ll see if she can go two turns.”
Vanta closed from seventh of nine to win by 1 1/4 lengths under Rispoli. Vanta started from the outside post and overcame traffic on the turn to win comfortably.
Rispoli and Mullins had an interesting post-race conversation that day.
“I asked Rispoli, ‘What do you think?’ ” Mullins recalled on Thursday. “He said, ‘She was making her own way through there. I was trying to stay on her back.’ ”
The Juvenile Fillies field consists of six winners and three maidens.
Dee Snook and Less Please won maiden races on turf in their last starts. Dee Snook, trained by Doug O’Neill, closed from seventh of eight to win a one-mile race on July 26.
Less Please won her second start at five furlongs on Aug. 13. Less Please is quick enough to lead. Trained by Ed Freeman, she was fitted with blinkers for her first two starts but will not wear the equipment on Sunday.
Typical of a late summer turf stakes in California, there are European imports.
River in Paradise, trained by Leonard Powell, won her debut against maidens at 66-1 going six furlongs on the synthetic track at Lingfield Park near London on June 4 for trainer Robert Edwards. Days later, she was sold at auction for approximately $141,000. River in Paradise is now owned by Marsha Naify.
Queenofthewild, who starts from the outside post, was a fast-closing second in a five-furlong maiden race at Navan Racecourse in Ireland on June 7.
“We’re putting her around two turns against winners,” new trainer Phil D’Amato said. “We’ll see where we stand going forward.”
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