Miss Monica looks to extend Baffert's Debutante record

DEL MAR, Calif. – The fastest 2-year-old filly in California has her work cut out against a big field Saturday in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante – or perhaps it is the other way around.

Nine fillies have their work cut out against Miss Monica, whose debut romp on Aug. 9 earned an 87 Beyer Speed Figure and the role of Debutante favorite. Trainer Bob Baffert has won the seven-furlong dirt race a record 12 times. Miss Monica’s mission is simple.

“She just needs to run that same race back,” Baffert said. “She’s fast but looks like she can carry it. Second out is always the important one. You don’t know how they’re going to respond, how they’re going to act.”

Eight of the last 11 Debutantes were won by second-time starters.

If she runs fast again, Miss Monica figures to win again. But the Debutante is tougher than the four-runner maiden field Miss Monica crushed. Debutante rivals include Grade 3-winning stablemate Holmby; Panda Listen, an 80-Beyer stakes winner at Thistledown; and Free Closer, a Cal-bred who won the CTBA Stakes by more than eight lengths.

Others are Dear Diary and Well Versed, Richard Mandella-trained maidens who finished second in their debuts, and Fast Amy, an Ellis Park maiden winner and stablemate of the Brendan Walsh-trained Panda Listen. For the Win, Avalon Rose, and Crazy Hot Mess are also entered.

Baffert said Miss Monica “tipped her hand early that she was pretty nice.”

Juan Hernandez, who rode Holmby to both of her wins, including the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes, will stick with Miss Monica from post 9.

Ricky Gonzalez rides Holmby, who Baffert said is “not very big, but she’s all heart. We were wondering how far she was gonna go, but I think she’s going to go farther than she looks. She moves over the ground really well.”

From post 8, Holmby can be positioned just off the pace.

Rail-drawn Panda Listen must use her speed. Runner-up in her debut, she trounced Ohio-bred fillies in the Miss Ohio Stakes at Thistledown next out. Walsh shipped Panda Listen and Fast Amy to Del Mar on Tuesday.

Can an Ohio-bred really win a Grade 1?

Panda Listen “is a Tiz the Law filly. It’s not as though she’s come from obscurity,” Walsh said.

Panda Listen, whose rider is Kazushi Kimura, earned an 80 Beyer winning by six lengths.

“I think she is a pretty nice filly,” Walsh said. “She’s worked every bit as good as any of the fillies we have this year, which seem to be a pretty nice bunch. And [Fast Amy] looks like she’s a nice filly, too. If she improves again, which she’ll have to on Saturday, it shouldn’t put her too far away.”

Fast Amy earned a 72 Beyer. Her rider is Hector Berrios.

The Walsh trainees drew posts 1 and 10. The rail dictates strategy for Panda Listen.

Post “one is never ideal,” Walsh said. “She does have plenty of speed, so she should be out and rolling, and hopefully we can clear a few early and take it from there.”

Free Closer would have been favored Friday in the $100,000 Generous Portion Stakes for Cal-bred fillies, but owner J. Paul Reddam opted to take a swing in the Grade 1. Free Closer is not without a chance based on last month’s romp in the CTBA for Cal-bred fillies. Umberto Rispoli rides Free Closer for trainer Michael McCarthy.

While the Debutante might seem a reach for Cal-bred stakes winner Free Closer, the highest reach will be attempted by Mandella-trained maidens Dear Diary and Well Versed. Both fillies are by Into Mischief, and both finished second in their debuts.

“With fillies, a race like this is worth a lot of money breeding-wise,” Mandella said. “I’m not getting any pressure to run [from owner-breeder Spendthrift Farm]. I just think they’re both very talented fillies, and I didn’t have them cranked up. There’s a lot of room to improve there.”

Dear Diary hit the gate and broke slowly first out, then rallied to miss by a length at 5 1/2 furlongs. Dear Diary, whose rider is Mike Smith, will be wheeling back in just two weeks.

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” Mandella said. “Most fillies, you run ’em, and they look light afterwards. She actually looks bigger, like it just did her good. It looks like seven-eighths should fit her pretty nice.”

Well Versed, produced by 2020 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Vequist, finished second in her debut, 5 3/4 lengths behind Miss Monica.

“She’s a big filly that I think will get a lot out of it,” Mandella said, referring to Well Versed.

The idea of a 2-year-old maiden in a Grade 1 is not crazy. Since 2000, five maidens have won the Del Mar Debutante: Cindy’s Hero in 2000, Sweet Catomine in 2004, Stardom Bound in 2008, Union Strike in 2016, and Bast in 2019.

Debutante favorites are 3 for 11 since Del Mar reinstalled dirt. The Debutante is race 10 Saturday.