THE Tapit filly Unique Bella more than lived up to the hype with an eight and a quarter-length demolition of the field in last Sunday’s Grade 2 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita.

Taking control with a wide sweep after a half mile, she moved clear to the lead midway down the back straight and was one and a half lengths in front after a blistering half mile in 45.62secs.

She easily dismissed last year’s champion juvenile filly Champagne Room and cruised home under Mike Smith.

This was the second graded stakes win for the imposing grey daughter of Unrivaled Belle, as she had previously won the Grade 2 Santa Ynez Stakes in similarly facile fashion by seven and a half lengths.

The $400,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale buy extended her advantage turning for home and sailed further clear down the lane under a motionless Mike Smith, completing the mile in 1m 35.66secs. Mopotism was second and Champagne Room was third.

ATHLETIC

“She’s very athletic. I was really happy with the way that she settled. I could have taken her farther back.

“You want to experiment but you don’t want to do something so drastic that you completely throw them off their game,” said Mike Smith.

Unique Bella is Jerry Hollendorfer’s second exceptional three-year-old filly in two years.

He trained Songbird to her second championship as a three-year-old in 2016. Unique Bella is third on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 20 points, just three behind leader Champagne Room.

Hollendorfer remained cautious over future plans.

“I’d like to keep in California, just like I did with Songbird last year.

“There’s enough money to run out here and run against the girls, not the boys.

“If we’d be fortunate enough, we’d point to the (Kentucky) Oaks.