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Unbeaten Stakes winner Vanta looms a major threat in Sunday’s Grade III Surfer Girl Stakes for 2-year-old fillies going one mile on turf at Santa Anita Park

9/29/2026

UNBEATEN STAKES WINNER VANTA LOOMS A MAJOR THREAT IN SUNDAY’S GRADE III SURFER GIRL STAKES FOR 2-YEAR-OLD FILLIES GOING ONE MILE ON TURF AT SANTA ANITA PARK

ARCADIA, CA (Sept. 29, 2026)—Vanta, who last month improved to 2-for-2 with another impressive victory in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf fillies going one mile, will look to add a graded stakes victory to the resume on Sunday when she takes on six rivals in the Grade III, $100,000 Surfer Girl Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at one mile on turf at Santa Anita Park.

Trained by Jeff Mullins, Vanta was second-to-last in a field of eight after the opening half mile of the Del Mar Juvenile Turf Fillies. The daughter of Greatest Honour then weaved her way through horses on the second turn and surged through the stretch under Umberto Rispoli to win going away by 2 ½ lengths as the even-money favorite. Vanta was purchased by owners Dutch Girl Holdings and Irving Ventures for $370,000 at the OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training. She’ll again have Rispoli in the irons.

Finishing second in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf was Blockade, who also returns in the Surfer Girl for trainer Ryan Hanson and owner WSS Racing. Blockade was making her grass debut in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf. She had the lead inside the final furlong but could not hold off the late charge of Vanta. Previously, Blockade broke her maiden sprinting at Los Alamitos in June and then finished fifth in the GIII Sorrento going six furlongs on the main track at Del Mar on Aug. 9. Escobedo again has the call on Blockade, who is from the second crop of 2021 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Knicks Go.

THE GIII SURFER GIRL WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 6 of 10 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT

  1. Dee Snook—Kazushi Kimura—122
  2. Dash—Ricky Gonzalez—122
  3. Big Blast—Joel Rosario—122
  4. Blockade—Adrian Escobedo—120
  5. Vanta—Umberto Rispoli—124
  6. River In Paradise—Drayden Van Dyke—120
  7. Less Please—Hector Berrios—120

First post Sunday is at 1 p.m. PT.