Wickedly Perfect Tops Debutante

The undefeated Wickedly Perfect, trained by Del Mar's leading conditioner, Doug O'Neill, takes the spotlight in a field of 12 2-year-old fillies, including two supplementary entries, in Saturday's Grade I, $250,000 Darley Debutante at 7 furlongs on the main track.

Wickedly Perfect broke her maiden at first asking at Hollywood Park and polished off a competitive field of seven in Del Mar's Grade III Sorrento Stakes on August 6. She's worked once since, going an easy 6 furlongs in 1:14.40 last Friday. Rafael Bejarano retains the ride on the daughter of Congrats that was bought for $70,000 at the Ocala Breeders Sales April sale of 2-year-olds in training.

The Sorrento's second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in that race -- A Z Warrior, Izshelegal, one of the two supplemental entries, and She'll Heir, are back for another shot at Wickedly Perfect. A Z Warrior won first time out at Hollywood Park, also, before getting shaded by a length to the O'Neill juvenile.

Izshelegal is still a maiden, having finished second and third in her two outings, but trainer Terry Knight and her owners think enough of her chances to put up the $10,000 supplemental fee for the daughter of Maria's Mon out of an A.P. Indy mare. Though not nominated to the Debutante, Izshelegal obviously has been highly prized, bringing a price of $130,000 at the 2009 Keeneland September yearling sale.

Knight has said all along that he expects Izshelegal, who was a fast-closing third in the Sorrento and missed second by a head, to get better with distance. Victor Espinoza will be in the irons again.

She'll Heir, trained by Vladimir Cerin for major clients David and Holly Wilson, won her first two outings, including Hollywood Park's Cinderella Stakes, but is winless in her last two starts, the Landaluce Stakes at Hollywood and the Sorrento.

Avid, a super-impressive Del Mar winner in her only start for Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella, is expected to get a lot of fan support. The daughter of More Than Ready will be ridden by Joel Rosario, taking over for Bejarano, who rode her in the maiden win.

Others coming into the race from victories are Sugarinthemorning, a California-bred daughter of Candy Ride trained by Hall of Famer Ron McAnally; Tell a Kelly, owned by Ike and Dawn Thrash and trained by John Sadler, who won at Del Mar August 15 and will be ridden again by Alonso Quinonez, and Rigoletta, a Del Mar maiden winner August 8, who is the other $10,000 supplemental entry.

Still in the maiden ranks along with Izshelegal is Righteous Renee, second to Avid the last time out and to A Z Warrior in her first start, Big Tiz and Distant Glow. Righteous Renee, a daughter of Dixie Union, brought $210,000 at the Barretts May sale of 2-year-olds in training.

Here's the lineup from the rail, with weights and riders: She'll Heir, 120, Brice Blanc; Wickedly Perfect, 122, Bejarano; Tell a Kelly, 118, Quinonez; Righteous Renee, 116, David Flores; Big Tiz, 116, Corey Nakatani; Sugarinthemorning, 118, Patrick Valenzuela; Avid, 118, Rosario; Rigoletta, 118, Mike Smith; Gone Rebel, 118, Paul Atkinson; A Z Warrior, 118, Martin Garcia; Distant Glow, 116, Kerwin John, and Izshelegal, 116, Victor Espinoza.