Leucothea staying home for Del Mar Debutante

DEL MAR, Calif. – Leucothea, winner of a $62,500 claiming race for maiden fillies by 14 1/2 lengths on Aug. 15, was supplemented to Saturday’s Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante at a cost of $10,000 on Wednesday.

The $300,000 Del Mar Debutante is run at seven furlongs and is the championship race for 2-year-old fillies at the track’s summer meeting.

Trainer Peter Miller considered sending Leucothea to the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga on Sunday, but opted to remain at Del Mar. Miller said a factor was the defections of Amalfi Sunrise, winner of the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes on Aug. 3, and the impressive maiden race winner Immediate Impact from the Debutante field. They will not start because of minor injuries.

“I think we’ll stay home,” he said. “We know she loves the track.”

Owned by Brian McGoldrick, Socal Seven Racing, and Miller, Leucothea was a troubled seventh in her debut July 4 at Ellis Park and then led throughout here at 5 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 15.

The Del Mar Debutante has a projected field of eight, including Powerfulattraction, runner-up in the Sorrento, and Comical, who won the Grade 3 Schuylerville on July 11 at Saratoga but was last of six in the Sorrento.

Other expected runners are Bast, Inspiressa, Lazy Daisy, Pure Xena, and Stellar Sound. Bast and Stellar Sound are trained by Bob Baffert, who has won the Del Mar Debutante seven times, most recently in 2012 with Executiveprivilege.

The main race on Monday’s closing day is the Grade 1 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity at seven furlongs. Eight Rings, expected to go favored on the strength of an easy maiden race win Aug. 4, worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 on Wednesday for Baffert. He will also start the maiden Garth, who worked six furlongs in 1:13.60 on Wednesday.