Nooni was nowhere, but Tenma closed with a rush as trainer Bob Baffert’s “other horse’’ nosed out Vodka With a Twist in the $300,000 Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) on Saturday.
Tenma, the 3-1 second choice in a field of seven 2-year-old fillies, gave Baffert his 11th victory in the Debutante, while jockey Kazushi Kimura won his first stakes race at Del Mar.
Nooni, the 4-5 favorite, finished fifth after weakening in the stretch of the 7-furlong sprint. Tenma, now 2-0, returned $8 on a $2 win bet.
“I rode her the other day when she won first time out and she did well closing,’’ Kimura said. “The plan was to try to do the same thing today. I saw those two fillies up front working on each other and I was happy with my spot. She closed well for me. I think she’s going to want to run farther.”
Winning time was 1:23.67.
Five races after winning the Debutante, Kimura was back in the winner’s circle with 20-1 longshot Hang the Moon ($43).
The 4-year-old Uncle Mo filly closed sharply in the stretch for a half-length win over Lucky Girl. Anisette, winner of three in a row including a pair of Grade 1s, was third, followed by 7-10 favorite Didia in the seven-horse field.
Winning time for the 1 1/8 miles over a firm turf was 1:48.50.
“Give a big shout out to KK (Kazushi Kimura),’’ winning trainer Phil D’Amato said. “He got her into a big stride there saving all the ground for the last quarter mile. She showed a really nice turn of foot to beat a couple of Grade I winners today.”
Thought Process ($2.80), the 2-5 favorite, won the 13th edition of this race with a two-length victory over Supa Speed.
Winning time for the mile was 1:35.06. The filly was ridden by Hector Berrios for trainer Phil D’Amato.
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