Astute expected to face Baffert trio in Starlet Stakes

The Grade 1 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos on Saturday will have a small field dominated by runners from the stables of Hall of Fame trainers Bob Baffert and Richard Mandella.

The projected field includes the Mandella-trained Astute and three runners trained by Baffert – Kalypso, Princess Noor and Varda – according to racing secretary Bob Moreno.

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Princess Noor and Varda were first and second in the Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 26, and Princess Noor was fifth as the 9-5 favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland on Nov. 6.

Astute and Kalypso each won a sprint stakes in her last start. Astute won the Dezi Arnaz Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs by 7 1/2 lengths at Del Mar on Nov. 14. Kalypso won the Anoakia Stakes at six furlongs by 2 1/4 lengths at Santa Anita on Oct. 18.

Nasreddine, the winner of a maiden special weight race at Del Mar on Nov. 7 in her second start, was supplemented for $10,000 by trainer Michael McCarthy on Wednesday, Moreno said.

The $300,000 Starlet Stakes is run at 1 1/16 miles for 2-year-old fillies and is the top race of the Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Los Alamitos, which runs through Dec. 20.