2023 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf Preview | Angiolleta Favored In Early Pick 5 Finale

The stakes tripleheader at Del Mar on Saturday kicks off with the Juvenile Fillies Turf, a one mile race that fills the bill for many 2-year-old grass runners.

The $100,000 Juvenile Fillies Turf is the fifth race on the 11-race Saturday card. Approximate post time is 3:30 p.m.

A common theme among trainers this time of year is they have nowhere to run their young grass horses once they’ve broken their maiden.

Enter the $100,000 Juvenile Fillies Turf, which attracted 10 runners, three of which just broke their maiden, two at the one mile distance. The others are still maidens hoping to get a little bonus for their first win.

Angiolleta and Flattery both broke their maidens last out at Del Mar. Angiolleta ran the one mile on the turf in 1:37.59, Flattery in 1:37.95.

For Angiolleta, it was also her U.S debut after running the first two races of her career in France. Trainer Doug O’Neill sends out the Irish-bred who came to the states in June.

“She came over from Europe and she’s settled in,” O’Neill says. “It seems like with each day she’s getting a little more adjusted to the American style of racing and the tighter turns. She put in probably her best work to date this last work so we’re excited. I think she has a real good chance.”

That last work was four furlongs in :48.40, (26/92) last Sunday.

Flattery is a daughter of Flatter, who came from the back of the pack with a strong closing kick to win.

“I don’t think you’ll find her quite as far back,” trainer Peter Eurton says. “Just the fact that second-time starters seem to always be a little more precocious and her works are showing that, too. He’ll (jockey Juan Hernandez) just do what he’s going to do and put her where he feels comfortable and hopefully she’s got that big run again.”

The other Eurton horse is Tambo, who broke her maiden in an $80,000 maiden-claimer at Del Mar in July. That race was 5 ½ furlongs on the dirt, her second career start.

The other eight are still maidens. Loterie, an Irish-bred from the Phil D’Amato barn, was runner-up to Angiolleta last time out, coming from the back of the pack to miss by just a length. It was her first race stateside and second overall.

“She had a little traffic trouble around the quarter pole,” D’Amato says. “But she still came with a nice run. I think she’s improved since that race and merits a shot in the stake. “

Cailin Dana was second at first asking in a 5-furlong maiden special weight at Del Mar last month. Sean McCarthy trains the daughter of Oscar Performance.

Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning odds:

1. Flattery (4-1)
2. Arctic Breeze (Scratched)
3. Poppy’s Joy (Ricky Gonzalez, 15-1)
4. Double Bay (Geovanni Franco, 8-1)
5. Tambo (Tiago Pereira, 6-1)
6. Angiolleta (Hector Berrios, 5/2)
7. Bossy Bruin Gal (Edwin Maldonado, 20-1)
8. Auratium (Joe Bravo, 15-1)
9. Loterie (Umberto Rispoli, 7/2)
10. Into Yellowstone (Diego Herrera, 30-1)
11. Cailin Dana (Ramon Vasquez, 6-1)