Trainer Richard Mandella’s autumn starters are matching Del Mar’s late-season schedule – graded stakes, followed by maiden races, followed by graded stakes again. Last week, Mandella won two of the four graded stakes and a fast maiden race for 2-year-old fillies. Friday, he starts two promising maidens, and closing weekend runs multiple contenders on a five-stakes weekend. Saturday, Mandella starts Seal Team in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby and Lane Way in the $100,000 Stormy Liberal. Ruby Nell runs Sunday in the Grade 1 Matriarch. The cycle continues. Stakes will pause Friday; five of the eight races are for maidens. Mandella could pick up where he left off last week when his debut filly Kopion scored a sharp 83-Beyer Speed Figure victory to emerge as a top winter prospect. Kopion would fit perfectly in the Grade 3 Santa Ynez Stakes for 3-year-old sprint fillies on Jan. 7 at Santa Anita. Mandella’s first starter Friday is well-bred first-timer Llorona in race 1, a maiden sprint. She was ready to run as a 2-year-old in August 2022 at Del Mar, but was scratched. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. “She banged herself up a bit, but she’s back in good shape and trains really well on the main track,” Mandella said. Sired by Mendelssohn and produced by six-time graded turf winner Wasted Tears, Llorona is a sibling to 2021 champion juvenile male Corniche. Referring to Llorona, Mandella said “I expect a lot from her.” Bettors will, also. Llorona is likely to start favored under Flavien Prat, and Mandella’s record with dirt-sprint first-time starters commands attention: 6 for 11 since the beginning of the year. Rivals for Llorona include trouble-prone Sultry Kitten and 14-start maiden Side by Side. Race 2 is a turf sprint for 2-year-old maiden fillies bred in California, led by bred-for-turf Safa, a runner-up in both recent starts on dirt. Sired by Grazen and trained by Gary Stute, Safa’s up-front style suits the course profile. Ten of 17 turf sprints this meet have been won by horses positioned one-two early. Safa’s rivals include Fiamina and first-time starters Quick Kate and Someone Like You. Race 4 is a turf sprint for 2-year-old maiden fillies. Mandella ran out of time to crank up firster Hot Hot Hot. Sired by Constitution and produced by a 5-for-6 graded stakes-winning dam, Hot Hot Hot might need a race. “I wish I had two more weeks, but it’s the end of the meet, and I thought I’d better get a race in her,” Mandella said. Hot Hot Hot is the first Southern California starter for owner LNJ Foxwoods since fall 2022. If it turns out the debut filly needs one, route-to-sprint Glo Glo or dirt-to-turf speedster Girl of My Dreams could win. Race 5 is a maiden-claiming sprint for 2-years-olds. Thirsty Lov is the one to catch. Winning Big showed late interest in his debut, while Sunset Storm has trained well enough. Race 6 is an entry-level allowance turf sprint with front-runner Organic. Her main rivals are late-runners Hayley Levade and Teen Drama. Race 8 is a wide-open turf mile for 2-year-old maidens bred in California. Second-time starter Drive for Show and late-runner Kitzkaty are top entrants. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.