Vanta impresses in Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf

DEL MAR, Calif. - He looked over his right shoulder and then his left. There were no threats.

With Vanta rapidly approaching the finish line in Sunday’s $102,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, jockey Umberto Rispoli gave the flashy filly a pat down the neck.

Sent off favored, Vanta ($4) won the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf at a mile to remain unbeaten after two starts. She closed from seventh in a maiden race at five furlongs on turf to win her debut on July 31. On Sunday, she closed from eighth of nine to win by 2 1/2 lengths.

Rispoli has been aboard for both wins.

“She’s a press-button filly,” Rispoli said. “She’s impressive. I had so much underneath. She could be anything possible.

“So far, she does everything right.”

Vanta won despite rearing slightly at the start. She raced at the back of the field for the first half-mile, near Ogle, the 3-1 second choice.

Vanta was eighth and then seventh on the backstretch and approaching the turn. Rispoli followed Juan Hernandez on Ogle on the turn before moving Vanta to the outside nearing the stretch.

Quickly, Vanta reached contention. She trailed by two lengths at the eighth pole, and took the lead with more than a sixteenth remaining. She was not urged in the final strides.

“I really enjoyed it,” Rispoli said. “Honestly, I had a big smile coming to the quarter-pole. I thought this is going to be easy.”

Vanta was timed in 1:36.30.

Blockade, the 56-1 longest shot in the field, finished second in her fourth start and first on turf.

“I thought she ran great,” trainer Ryan Hanson said. “I think she wants to go long. The dirt sprints were too fast for her.

“We got beat by a good filly today.”

Ogle closed on the inside through the stretch to finish third, followed by Less Please, Vendetta, River In Paradise, Dee Snook, Queenofthewild and Confetti Rain.

Vanta is the first stakes winner for the 8-year-old stallion Greatest Honour, who stands at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky. Bred in New York, Vanta races for trainer Jeff Mullins and Dutch Girl Holdings and Irving Ventures, the partnership of Ruben Islas and Michele Arthur.

Vanta was purchased for $370,000 at the Ocala Breeders Sale of 2-year-olds in-training in March. She has earned $108,000.

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