DEL MAR, Calif. - Will Then performed like a filly with more experience than two previous races in her surprise win in Saturday’s Grade 3 Jimmy Durante Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Del Mar. Closing from 10th of 11, Will Then rallied wide in the stretch to win the $103,000 race at a mile on turf by 2 1/4 lengths. The victory gave George Strawbridge Jr.’s Augustin Stable, trainer Jonathan Thomas and Vincent Cheminaud their third graded stakes win in less than a week at Del Mar. Last Sunday, they won the Grade 3 Red Carpet Stakes for fillies and mares with Mrs. Astor. On Friday, they teamed to win the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup with Truly Quality. While Truly Quality was favored, Will Then ($23.00) was largely ignored in the Durante.  The lineup of the race changed substantially when Supa Speed, the 8-5 favorite, was scratched after becoming upset in the gate. Will Then broke from post 9 and was not urged early by Cheminaud. Will Then was well behind early leader Tigerish, who set fractions of 22.69 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 46.98 for a half-mile. Cheminaud moved Will Then closer to the front on the turn. Will Then responded to urging to pass stretch leader Casalu in the final sixteenth. Will Then was timed in 1:36.46 and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 75. “I loved the trip,” Thomas said. “We were going to wait and see how she broke.” Casalu, second in two stakes earlier this year at Del Mar and Santa Anita, held second under jockey Kazushi Kimura, finishing three-quarters of a length in front of Resolve. Casalu, trained by Bob Baffert, closed from sixth to reach the front briefly. She was sent off at 8-1. “She did everything right,” Kimura said. “From the three-eighths, I started asking her to pick it up. She finished strong. Unfortunately, she got beat.” Resolve (9-2) closed from seventh while racing in traffic on the turn. She was closest to the front at the wire. “She got checked two or three times and still rallied,” trainer Leonard Powell said. “I think objectively she was the best. She’s got a nice future.” The remaining order of finish was Sea Runner, Ce La Vi Charli, Slick, Dandy Vandy, Schilflied, Tigerish, Lee’s Baby Girl and Acquitted. Sea Runner, third in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf on Sept. 7, inherited the role of favorite, at 5-2. Will Then, by War of Will, was 10th of 12 in her debut in a one-mile turf race at Kentucky Downs on Aug. 31, and rebounded to win a one-mile maiden race at Woodbine on Oct. 26. She has earned $92,571 in three starts. Thomas said the filly has shown substantial progress, both mentally and physically, this fall. “I loved the fact that she switched off,” he said. “I actually loved the fact that she got shuffled back. For education reasons, I thought this was great.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.