Sans Immediate Impact, Del Mar Debutante attracts eight
A field of eight, among them the supplement of Peter Miller-trained Leucothea, was entered for Saturday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Debutante.
A daughter of Midshipman, Leucothea was a romping 14 1/2-length winner in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden claimer here on August 15 and was supplemented to the prestigious seven-furlong Debutante, which determines the 2-year-old filly champion of the meeting, for $10,000.
The supplement counteracts the absence of Immediate Impact, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Into Mischief owned by Clearview Stables and trained by Bob Baffert who was a 6 3/4-length winner debuting at 5 1/2 furlongs under Drayden Van Dyke on July 28. Immediate Impact, a half-sister of Arrogate, worked five furlongs in 1:01.20 on August 19 but Baffert said, “We’ve had to back off on her a little bit” since.
Baffert still plans to have two runners in the Debutante, a race he has won seven times, the last coming with Executiveprivilege in 2012;. Bast, runner-up to possible favorite Inspiressa, was beaten 1 ¼ lengths on August 11, and Stellar Sound was recent winner at Del Mar.
Simon Callaghan, aiming for a third straight Debutante victory, which would place him with Baffert (1997-99) and D. Wayne Lukas (1987-89) as the third to accomplish the feat, entered Shedaresthedevil. That filly will also be given strong consideration for the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf on Monday, the closing day of the meeting.
Missing from this one as well is Amalfi Sunrise, the 2-for-2 winner of the Sorrento Stakes (G2), the last major event in this division on the west coast. That's another filly dealing with physical issues.
In Amalfi Sunrise's place, Inspiressa, who's campaigned by the noted connections of John Sadler and Hronis Racing, with West Point Thoroughbreds on board as a co-owner, could be the one to beat in a race that's likely to send its top finishers on to the Kentucky Oaks trail.
The Del Mar Debutante goes as Race 9 of 10 on Saturday with post time approximately 9 p.m. ET.