Flashy filly Brill ‘lived up to the hype’ in Del Mar debut

Last month, the connections of trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and OXO Equine LLC unveiled Instagrand, a colt as flashy as we’ve seen from this 2-year-old crop. They doubled down Wednesday with a filly to know moving forward, too.

Brill, a $1 million daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, stumbled at the start but took an outside, rallying trip to strike in her debut on Del Mar’s opening day card. Under jockey Drayden Van Dyke, she finished five furlongs in a respectable 57.86 seconds.

“She was probably a little further back than maybe Drayden Van Dyke and Jerry Hollendorfer anticipated,” said TVG analyst Simon Bray of the early going, “but her class got her home. She showed so much professionalism. She was well-schooled. This was a great experience for her.

“…This is a filly that, as the races get longer, she’s going to get so much better. Very nice debut — lived up to the hype.”

The potential was no secret with Brill bet down to 3/5 in a field of 10. She returned $3.40 after making a move from mid-pack through the turn, going around her rivals three wide before passing runner-up Del Mar May with ease in the stretch.

The owner-trainer combination has experienced success before with Hollendorfer training the Kentucky Derby’s longshot fourth-place finisher, Instilled Regard, for OXO Equine.

For Brill, the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Debutante on Sept. 1 is a likely target.