DEL MAR, Calif.— Eight 2-year-old fillies will battle here Sunday over seven furlongs in the 71st edition of the Grade I Del Mar Debutante, the annual championship race for juvenile misses at the seaside summer session. They’ll race for the prestige, black type and the winner’s share of a $300,000 purse.
Besides the Deb, the track also will present the 10th running of the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, a mile test on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course that in the past has served as a steppingstone to the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, which will be run here on Friday, November 5.
The Debutante will go as Race 10 on the 11-race card that has an early starting time of 1:30 p.m. The Juvenile Fillies Turf will be run as Race 9.
The Debutante is headed by a pair of sharp fillies who had to be divided by the photo finish camera when they met here on August 6 in the Grade II Sorrento Stakes. Little Red Feather Racing’s Elm Drive hung tough to come out on top by a head that day with a game Eda, who is owned by Baoma Corp, right alongside her.
Each of those fillies has run twice, Elm Drive having scored a handy eight-length victory at Los Alamitos in her debut on June 26 and Eda finishing second – but being elevated to first – in her racing bow at Santa Anita on June 26.
Further, both fillies came out of the Ocala Breeders’ Sale of 2-year-olds in training this past March in Florida. Elm Drive, who is by the Tapit sire Mohaymen, fetched $165,000. Eda, a daughter of Munnings, brought $550,000.
Del Mar’s morning line maker, Jon White, has made Elm Drive a slight 5/2 favorite over 3-1 Eda.
Juan Hernandez again will ride Elm Drive for trainer Phil D’Amato. Trainer Bob Baffert, who has won the Debutante nine times already, called an audible with Eda and went to his east coast guy – Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez — for Sunday. The previous Sunday Baffert had brought Velazquez west to handle Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit in his comeback race and saw him ride the colt to a length and a quarter victory in the Shared Belief Stakes.
Here’s the full field for the Debutante with riders and morning line odds:
Lovinger, Beckerle or Carrillo’s At the Spa (Umberto Rispoli, 8-1); Eda; Elm Drive; Red Barons Barn or Rancho Temescal’s Dance to the Music (Abel Cedillo, 3-1); Chris Britton’s Myfavoritedaughter (Jose Valdivia, Jr., 8-1); KM Racing Enterprise’s Rock the Belles (Joe Bravo, 20-1); Willow Grace Farm or Petersen’s Grace Adler (Flavien Prat, 5-1), and Calvin Nguyen’s Bicameral (Mario Gutierrez, 12-1).
Dance to the Music is yet another graduate of the OBS, but this one was the Spring Sale of 2-year-olds in training in April, where she was bid in for $575,000. She’s by the Distorted Humor stallion Maclean’s Music. Her lone start saw her score smartly by almost five lengths in a straight maiden race at five and a half furlongs at Del Mar on July 24.
The Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf appears to be a wide-open betting affair with five of the 11 runners within a point or two of each other on the wagering line.
The slight morning line favorite is Benowitz Family Trust, CYBT or Nentwig’s Helens Well at 7/2. Just behind her at 4-1 is Gary Barber’s homebred Into Touring.
Helens Well is conditioned by Phil D’Amato, one of three horses he has in the race. The others are Little Red Feather’s Sea Breezing and Agave Racing Stable or Schera’s Sax.
Trainers John Sadler and Doug O’Neill both have two runners in the grassy mile. They are Hronis Racing’ Dolly May and Batchelor Family Trust or Cicero Farm’s Dendera for Sadler, while O’Neill will saddle La Deuxieme Etoile for Reddam Racing and Miss Bellatrix for C T R Stables or Aldabbaugh.
Here’s the full field for the Juvenile Fillies Turf from the rail out with riders and morning line odds:
1. Sea Breezing (Drayden Van Dyke, 6-1)
2. Dolly May (Hernandez, 10-1)
3. Urban (Kent Desormeaux, 6-1)
4. La Deuxieme Etoile (Gutierrez, 10-1)
5. Distorted Diva (Valdivia, Jr., 20-1)
6. Dendera (Velazquez, 5-1)
7. Into Touring (Rispoli)
8. Miss Bellatrix (Cedillo, 12-1)
9. Sax (Bravo, 15-1)
Dove (Kyle Frey, 12-1)
Helens Well (Prat).
The 2020 Del Mar Debutante was captured by Zedan Racing Stables’ Princess Noor for trainer Baffert and rider Prat. The 2020 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf was won by Kaleem Shah’s Madone for trainer Simon Callaghan with rider Prat up.
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Press Release
Photo: Elm Drive, (Benoit)
