Vexatious Back at Del Mar for Red Carpet Handicap

On the road for her last two starts, including her first graded score last time out (albeit via disqualification) in the Oct. 21 Rood & Riddle Dowager Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland, Calumet Farm's Vexatious will return to the site of her first stakes victory Nov. 22 in the $100,000 Red Carpet Handicap (G3T) at Del Mar.

The Neil Drysdale-trained Giant's Causeway  filly, who placed in two graded events on the road to the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) and finished fourth in her try for the garland of lilies in 2017, has focused mostly on grass during her 4-year-old campaign and scored her first stakes Aug. 15 in the CTT and TOC Stakes.

Then came a trip to Woodbine to take on males in the Sept. 15 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes (G1T), and although she never threatened, she edged favored Hawkbill for seventh.

In the Dowager, she couldn't get by the frontrunning Beach Flower and was a neck behind at the wire, but stewards disqualified Beach Flower for interference.

DAUGHERTY: Vexatious Scores First Graded Stakes Win in Dowager

The 1 3/8-mile Red Carpet should suit her affinity for longer distances. The CTT and TOC Stakes was at the same distance, and the Dowager was run at 1 1/2 miles.

The only other graded winner in the field is Canadian invader Victress, last-out winner of the Oct. 8 Ballerina Stakes (G3) at Hastings Racecourse. Victress finished ninth in the Red Carpet in 2017.

LARUE: Victress Earns First Graded Stakes in Ballerina

The story of the Del Mar meet so far, Don Schnell's Escape Clause, is also entered and is proven on the Del Mar grass after her victory via disqualification last time out in the Nov. 9 Kathryn Crosby Stakes.

The Manitoba-bred Going Commando filly has won her last nine starts, mostly racing in Canada, and the Crosby was her first grass start.

BALAN: Manitoba-Bred Escape Clause Springs Upset at Del Mar

Rounding out the field is graded stakes-placed Panstonfire, minor stakes winner The Tulip, recent allowance winner Siberian Iris, and stakes-placed runners India Mantuana, Lucy De, and So Hi Society.

Entries: Red Carpet H. (G3T)

Del Mar, Thursday, November 22, 2018, Race 6

• Grade IIIT
• 1 3/8m
• Turf
• $100,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 1:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Victress (KY)	Joseph Talamo	118	Robert Gilker	20/1
2	2Pantsonfire (IRE)	Geovanni Franco	120	Richard Baltas	5/1
3	3Vexatious (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	123	Neil D. Drysdale	3/1
4	4The Tulip (IRE)	Drayden Van Dyke	118	Patrick Gallagher	4/1
5	5India Mantuana (KY)	Tyler Baze	117	Thomas Ray Bell, II	6/1
6	6Siberian Iris (IRE)	Flavien Prat	117	Richard E. Mandella	6/1
7	7Lucy De (CA)	Kent J. Desormeaux	120	Richard Baltas	6/1
8	8So Hi Society (IRE)	Tiago Josue Pereira	114	Jeff Mullins	20/1
9	9Escape Clause (MB)	Ruben Fuentes	121	Don Schnell	5/1