Nielson, Gandolfini make debuts for Baffert

He was purchased for $850,000, he is a half-brother to a graded stakes winner, and will be ridden by a Hall of Fame jockey.

The 2-year-old colt Nielson will draw ample attention when he makes his career debut in a maiden special weight race at a mile at Los Alamitos on Saturday. The question is whether he can beat two other first-time starters – stablemate Gandolfini and Jeweled Shillelagh, and Odonato, who was fourth in his second start at Del Mar on July 30.

Nielson and Gandolfini, purchased for $470,000 as a yearling, are well-regarded colts trained by Bob Baffert, who has his typical deep division of juveniles this year.

Nielson, the lone mount this weekend for jockey Mike Smith, drew post 7, while Gandolfini drew the outside in a field of nine.

“Gandolfini drew way out,” Baffert said. “It’s sort of a tough post.”

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Nielson, by Curlin, is a half-brother to My Prankster, who won the Grade 3 Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park in February. My Prankster was fifth of nine in the Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters at Saratoga on July 31 in his most recent start.

Nielson was scratched from the also-eligible list of a maiden special weight race at Del Mar on Sept. 11. Gandolfini was scratched from the also-eligible list of a similar race on Sept. 3.

“We had a lot of horses ready at the end [of Del Mar] and couldn’t get them in,” Baffert said.

Gandolfini, by Justify, will be ridden by Ramon Vazquez. Gandolfini is out of Dorothy’s Aurora, who was second in a stakes for Pennsylvania-breds at Penn National in 2012.

Jeweled Shillelagh, trained by Michael McCarthy, starts from the rail and will be ridden by Tyler Baze. By City of Light, Jeweled Shillelagh is the first foal to race out of Knock, who lost her only start. Knock is out of Fencelineneigbhor, a four-time stakes winner in the early 2000s.