Fresh from producing runaway Group II winner Saintly Dancer at Flemington last Saturday, St Mark’s Basilica added another promising three year-old winner on Monday at Pakenham in the shape of Vantaa (3g St Mark's Basilica x Tuusula, by Street Cry). Trained by Matt Laurie and ridden by Jake Noonan, Vantaa was a short priced favourite for the 1600m maiden at his second start following a close second on debut last month. Fitted with blinkers, Vantaa chimed in at the 100m mark and surged clear to win by two lengths. A $200,000 Inglis Easter purchase from Arrowfield for PR Thoroughbreds, Vantaa is a half-brother to stakes-placed Crockett being the fifth winner from five foals to race from blueblood Street Cry (IRE) mare Tuusula, an unraced sister to Group I winner Stay with Me from champion 2YO and 3YO Filly Miss Finland. Vantaa is the sixth Australian winner of the new season for St Mark’s Basilica, whose star filly in the Northern Hemisphere, Diamond Necklace, ran a huge race to finish third in the Group I Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on Sunday. St Mark’s Basilica is back in Australia at a fee of $38,500 this spring.