Iotapa has the looks in Vanity

Hronis Racing LLC's Iotapa was off a step slow, but that was the

four-year-old fillies' only mishap in her wire-to-wire victory in Saturday's

Grade 1, $300,250

Vanity

Stakes at Santa Anita.

The John Sadler pupil overcame a slow start out of the gate to take over the

lead and post an opening quarter in a quick :22 3/5. Eventual runner-up Grace

Hall stalked the pacesetter on the outside as Iotapa still had a steady hold on

the field through a half-mile in :46 2/5.

Iotapa repelled the challenge by Grace Hall and slowly pulled away from the

six-horse field after running six furlongs in 1:10 2/5. Iotapa was not to be

denied as she was able to dictate the pace throughout and ran away from her

competition by an astounding 10 1/4 lengths in the end.

The daughter of Afleet Alex crossed the wire in 1:47 3/5 for the 1 1/8-mile

test over the fast main track with Joe Talamo aboard. Sent off as the 9-2 third

choice, Iotapa returned $11.20 to her supporters for her third stakes victory.

Grace Hall held on for second by 1 3/4 lengths over third-place finisher

Scherzinger. Let Faith Arise, Magic Union and Yahilwa rounded out the order of

finish. Irish Presence and Unusual Way were scratched.

Initially saddled by Marty Jones to take her maiden debut in June 2012 at

Hollywood Park, Iotapa was claimed out of that contest and wouldn't face

competition again until sent out for an optional claiming victory at Santa Anita

in February2013 by Sadler. She finished second to champion Beholder in the Santa

Anita Oaks the following month while making her stakes bow, then captured her

first stakes score in the Railbird a month later back at Hollywood. Iotapa would

race just twice more as a sophomore, finishing second in the Hollywood Oaks and

third in the San Clemente.

Iotapa returned to the races in January, following more than a six-month

layoff and was runner --up in the Santa Monica over this track. She won her

first graded stakes the next month in the Santa Maria and came back to finish

second in the Santa Margarita in March. Iotapa was exiting a disappointing

sixth-place finish in the Humana Distaff last month at Churchill Downs. With

Saturday's win, the dark bay banked $180,000 to boost her bankroll to $616,796

from an 11-5-4-1 career line.

Bred in Kentucky by GEM Inc., Bajer & O'Hara, Iotapa is the first registered

foal out of the winning El Corredor mare Concinnous and counts as a half-sister

to stakes winner Saintly Joan. The duo's fourth dam is Grade 1 queen Alma North,

whose descendents also include Points Offthebench as well as Grade 3 winners

Visible Gold and Bench Points. Points Offthebench was posthumously honored as

the 2013 champion sprinter after suffering a fatal training accident while

preparing for last November's Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Farther back this female line also includes European champions *Dodoma II, *Diableretta,

Ginetta and *Nasrullah, the latter of whom is an influential sire.

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