Vella's juvenile fillies pointed to stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Over a recent eight-day span, trainer Danny Vella sent out a trio of 2-year-old fillies to win at first asking, and all three appear to be headed for stakes in the next few weeks.

Pulled the Goalie debuted with a 65 Beyer Speed Figure on July 24, settling off a modest early pace in the six-furlong sprint on Polytrack before surging to a three-quarter-length victory over Conquest Soprano.

Vella said he’d like to run Pulled the Goalie seven furlongs on turf Aug. 22 in the prep for the Grade 2, $150,000 Natalma Stakes. If that race doesn’t fill, Vella said he could run Pulled the Goalie against the boys the next day in the prep for the Summer Stakes or just wait for the Natalma on Sept. 12.

“She’s a young filly, and she’s maturing very quickly,” he said. “I’d like to run her in the prep just to give her a little more savvy, but it’s not an absolutely necessary thing. We could go straight into the Natalma.”

On July 31, Vella sent out Most Inspiring to a 3 1/4-length victory in a 6 1/2-furlong turf sprint. The filly earned a 68 Beyer Speed Figure and became the first winner for freshman sire and seven-time Grade 1 turf stakes winner Gio Ponti. Most Inspiring will train up to the Natalma, which offers a fees-paid berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf to the winner.

Vella said the way Most Inspiring had been training signaled that she could deliver a dominant effort first time out.

“She had worked on the Polytrack a few times, and those works, to be honest, were nice, but they weren’t inspiring,” he said. “We took her up and worked her with some older horses on the turf, and she worked phenomenal both times. We put a little more pressure on her the second time. When you get a 2-year-old working with nice older horses on the turf and keeping up well, you figure they’re going to run well.”

Finally, Trini Brewnette defeated Ontario-sired maidens Aug. 1 with a gate-to-wire score under jockey Alan Garcia. Vella said Trini Brewnette likely will run in the $200,000 Muskoka Stakes over 6 1/2 furlongs on Polytrack for local yearling sales graduates on Canadian Millions Sales Stakes Day, Sept. 2.

Vella said it’s exciting for the barn to have three fillies who appear to have bright futures.

“It’s very exciting to have nice young horses and clients that will send you nice young horses,” he said. “That’s what racing is all about.”