Bellafina fires bullet for Del Mar Debutante

DEL MAR, Calif. – Bellafina, the winner of the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes on Aug. 5, worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 at Del Mar on Friday in advance of her Grade 1 debut in the $300,000 Del Mar Debutante on Sept. 1.

Bellafina’s time was the fastest of 61 works at the distance Friday.

“I liked the way she galloped out,” trainer Simon Callaghan said. “We’re going into it with two races under our belt. She got a good foundation from the Sorrento.”

Fitting for the championship race of the summer meeting for 2-year-old fillies, the seven-furlong Debutante is expected to have a strong field. Aside from Bellafina, the leading candidate is Brill, the winner of a maiden special weight race on July 18.

The maiden winners Mother Mother and Boujie Girl, who was third in the Sorrento, are expected to run. Bob Baffert trains Mother Mother and said on Friday that the maiden winners Chasing Yesterday and Der Lu also could run in the Debutante. He said a decision on their status will be made at the beginning of the week.

On Friday, Chasing Yesterday and Der Lu worked six furlongs from the gate in 1:13.

Brill is trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, who has the favorite for the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 3 with Instagrand, the easy winner of the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes on Aug. 11. Hollendorfer said on Friday that he is considering also starting Rowayton in the Futurity. Rowayton won a maiden special weight race on July 22. Instagrand and Rowayton are owned by Larry Best’s OXO Equine.

Sparky Ville, second in the Best Pal, is expected to start in the Del Mar Futurity, which is run at seven furlongs. Other candidates are Roadster, Savagery, Sigalert, and Spin Lightning.

The Del Mar summer meeting ends on Sept. 3, followed by the start of the 12-day Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Los Alamitos on Sept. 6.