The $300,00 Del Mar Debutante (G1) on Saturday is the championship race for juvenile fillies as the prestigious summer meet comes to a close. At 7 furlongs on dirt, it is a traditional stepping stone to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Keeneland on Oct. 30.
First run in 1951 at 6 furlongs, it later stretched to a mile before settling at its current distance in 1993. It has been a Grade 1 since the late 1990s.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert owns the record with 12 victories, including the last two renewals with Tenma in 2024 and Bottle of Rouge a year ago.
Other standout winners include the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Landaluce and Terlingua, the brilliant Althea — who remains the only filly to sweep the Debutante and then beat the boys in the Del Mar Futurity — Chilukki, Bellafina, and Tamara, the daughter of champion Beholder, who dominated in 2023.
Bill Shoemaker and Gary Stevens share the riding mark with five wins apiece.
This year’s 10-horse field mixes Baffert’s usual local standouts with talented shippers and well-bred maidens stretching out for the first time.
Holmby (4-1), trained by Baffert for Talla Racing, returns off her Sorrento Stakes (G3) win, where she sat off a fast pace before wearing rivals late to win by a neck. The Corniche filly is a proven stalker who finds another gear in the stretch and should handle the extra furlong no problem. Ricky Gonzalez has been tapped to ride.
Miss Monica (8-5), the other Baffert runner from the Three Amigos partnership (Pegram, Watson & Weitman), makes her stakes debut off an effortless 5¾-length debut win a few weeks ago at Del Mar. The $850,000 Early Voting filly broke sharply, controlled moderate fractions, shrugged off a challenge, and drew off in a gallop. She is the most obvious front-runner in the field and will have Juan Hernandez aboard.
Trainer Brendan Walsh shipped two—Fast Amy and Panda Listen (each 8-1)—from Kentucky. Both are lightly raced and represent the typical Walsh juveniles in quality pedigrees and professional preparation.
Fast Amy, a daughter of Jackie’s Warrior, broke her maiden second out at Ellis Park a month ago and has three nice works for this stakes debut. Hector Barrios will ride. Panda Listen is an Ohio-bred who broke her maiden in state-bred company in the Best of Ohio Miss Ohio Stakes last out in her second start. Both fillies look promising but will need their best. Walsh has tabbed Kazushi Kimura to ride.
Richard Mandella sends out Dear Diary (8-1), another Spendthrift Into Mischief homebred maiden who rallied from last after a slow start and traffic trouble to finish second on Pacific Classic Day. She is a closer who should appreciate more distance under Mike Smith.
Free Closer (8-1) is the lone California-bred. The Michael McCarthy trainee won her Santa Anita debut after a troubled start. After a mid-pack fifth in the Debutante at Churchill Downs in late June as her only disappointment so far, she then demolished the CTBA Stakes field by more than eight lengths at 5 ½ furlongs last out in a stalking then exploding performance. She figures with a big shot for a mile under jockey Umberto Rispoli.
Crazy Hot Mess (12-1) broke her maiden first out at Ellis Park, stalking the pace over a sloppy track before drawing clear to win by 1 ¼ lengths at 6 ½ furlongs. She finished a distant third in the Sorrento last out, 7½ lengths behind Holmby, but the Pinehurst filly showed she can sit a stalking trip and should improve with the added distance. Peter Miller trains, and Joel Rosario will be in the irons.
George Weaver sends out maiden winner For the Win (12-1), who was second in the Ellis Park Debutante last out and is another with East Coast experience on the West Coast. The daughter of Drain the Clock will have Emisael Jaramillo aboard.
The Mandella-trained Well Versed (12-1), a Spendthrift homebred by Into Mischief and out of champion (and $3.4 million broodmare purchase) Vequist, is still a maiden after a single start. She pressed Miss Monica on debut and, though a distant second, was the best of the rest. Her pedigree and barn suggest she will relish the added distance under Tyler Baze.
Avalon Rose (15-1) won a Del Mar maiden optional claimer at 5 ½ furlongs after a fifth-place debut at Ellis Park two months ago. The Rock Your World filly, trained by Bob Hess, Jr., sat just off the pace and drew off by 3 ¼ lengths under Julien Leparoux, who returns to ride here. She is another mid-pack type stretching out with a pedigree to appreciate the added distance.
Post time for the Debutante is 9 p.m. ET.
| # | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panda Listen (OH) | K Kimura | B P Walsh | 8/1 |
| 2 | Dear Diary (KY) | M E Smith | R E Mandella | 8/1 |
| 3 | Avalon Rose (KY) | J R Leparoux | R B Hess, Jr. | 15/1 |
| 4 | Crazy Hot Mess (KY) | J Rosario | P Miller | 12/1 |
| 5 | Free Closer (CA) | U Rispoli | M W McCarthy | 8/1 |
| 6 | For the Win (KY) | E Jaramillo | G Weaver | 12/1 |
| 7 | Well Versed (KY) | T Baze | R E Mandella | 12/1 |
| 8 | Holmby (IN) | R Gonzalez | B Baffert | 4/1 |
| 9 | Miss Monica (KY) | J J Hernandez | B Baffert | 8/5 |
| 10 | Fast Amy (KY) | H I Berrios | B P Walsh | 8/1 |
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
