Woebegon Figures in Debutante Mix

By virtue of a 3 ¼-length victory, at odds of nearly 14-1, in her June 26 racing debut, Woebegon was made the favorite 20 days later in the Landaluce Stakes at Hollywood Park. And, she ran fourth of six in the $100,000, 6-furlong event, beaten 4 ¼ lengths by Killer Graces.

Looking back, trainer Peter Miller now calls the decision to run in the Landaluce a mistake. But looking ahead, it’s one that the 2-year-old Saint Anddan filly can delete from the memories of many with a victory Saturday in the $250,000, Grade I, 7-furlong Del Mar Debutante.

“I think we belong,” Miller said in a teleconference earlier this week. “She was even-money in the Landaluce and she bounced. I probably shouldn’t have run her back in three weeks. She ran a big number on the sheets and an 84 Beyer (in the debut win) and I think, in hindsight, I should have passed up the Landaluce and run in the Sorrento.

“Since I didn’t do that, it really forced me to pass up the Sorrento and train her up to the Debutante.”

The Debutante, which determines the juvenile filly champion of the meeting, attracted a field of  10 which includes only one from the Debutante-prep $150,000, Grade III ,  6 ½-furlong Sorrento Stakes on August 5. That would be Landaluce winner Killer Graces, who failed as the even-money Sorrento favorite and finished fourth of six, never recovering from a bobble at the start.

Woebegon, owned by the Jay Em Ess Stable of Mace and Samantha Siegel,  has worked five times over Del Mar’s Polytrack surface, at distances of 3-6 furlongs. She’ll be one of three Debutante starters without a race over the track, the others being Ben Cecil-trained Self Preservation, whose two starts were in Ireland, and Jeff Bonde-conditioned Coup de Coeur, whose three career starts were in Northern California.

Five in the Debutante are entered off victories over the track, among them Dreamcaster, a Bernardini filly trained by six-time Debutante winner and Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. Dreamcaster, a debuting winner on August 7, was the only one of 12 Debutante nominees by Baffert to be entered in the race. John Sadler, who won the 2010 Debutante with Tell a Kelly and nominated 23 for 2011, is without a starter. Jerry Hollendorfer, who nominated 20, will saddle Killer Graces.