Arrogate's half-sister, Immediate Impact, airs on debut

It wasn’t until midway through his 3-year-old season that Arrogate established himself as one of his generation’s best. But on Sunday, the champ’s younger half sister, aptly named, proved herself one to watch with a dominating debut at 2.

Clearsky Farm’s Immediate Impact, an Into Mischief filly out of the Distorted Humor mare Bubbler, won for fun in Del Mar’s opener, sprinting to 5 1/2 furlongs in a final time of 1:04.72 over a track that hasn’t produced particularly fast times.

Immediate Impact broke on top under Drayden Van Dyke, rated off longshot Majestic Gigi and inherited a lone lead when that one dropped out through the turn. Fractions were 22.21 seconds, 46 flat and 58.20 with second choice Nora’s Joy 6 1/2 lengths back in second.

The victory makes Immediate Impact — as with Arrogate, a Bob Baffert trainee — a top contender for the Aug. 31 Del Mar Debutante (G1) at seven furlongs, while other local 2-year-old fillies will prep for the closing weekend feature in Saturday’s Sorrento (G2).

"We know she can run. She's a nice filly. She's a little quirky, but she looked like a really good one there."

A homebred, Immediate Impact is a bay who tuned up for her debut for back-to-back bullet works at Del Mar.

"I was very confident based on how she's worked here and how she's been doing," Van Dyke said.

Arrogate, the retired Travers, Breeders’ Cup Classic, Pegasus World Cup and Dubai World Cup winner, now stands at Juddmonte Farms. Bubbler, the 13-year-old mare, recently had another of her progeny, stakes-winning filly Osare, retire to begin her own breeding career.

Bubbler most recently bred to Justify as part of the Triple Crown winner's first book.