Nooni leads all the way in Sorrento Stakes

DEL MAR, Calif. - Nooni, bought for $1.8 million at auction in Florida in March, has a stakes win to go with her lofty reputation in the nation’s juvenile filly division.

In Saturday’s Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes at six furlongs at Del Mar, Nooni led throughout to remain unbeaten after two starts.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Nooni ($3) finished 1 1/2 lengths in front of 2-1 Vodka With a Twist, finishing in 1:10.41. Nooni earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 81.

“She was good out of the gate,” Hernandez said. “I had to ask her a little bit in in the stretch and she responded.”

The $147,000 Sorrento Stakes was a prep for the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs on Sept. 7, the leading race of the summer for 2-year-olds fillies in California.

Nooni, the most expensive hip of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales 2-year-old in-training sale, won her debut by 9 1/2 lengths in a maiden race at five furlongs at Santa Anita on June 13 for owner Amr Zedan and trainer Bob Baffert.

Nooni was forced to work harder to win the Sorrento. Starting from the inside in a small field of four, Nooni set an early pace of 21.87 seconds for the opening quarter-mile, and 44.90 for a half-mile, leading by at least a half-length over stablemate Casalu.

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Nooni had a one-length advantage with a quarter-mile remaining. Vodka With a Twist, the winner of the Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 30, closed from third on the backstretch to move closer to Nooni in the stretch.

Vodka With a Twist, ridden by Mike Smith, could not catch Nooni and finished 3 1/4 lengths in front of 6-1 Casalu.

“I still think there is more upside to her,” Smith said of Vodka With a Twist. “She was a sixteenth of a mile late switching” leads.

Night Beacon (12-1) was last throughout. White Sands was withdrawn in favor of a scheduled start in Sunday’s Grade 3 Best Pal Stakes against males.

Nooni has earned $122,400 from her two wins.

“Nooni dug in deep,” Baffert said. “She’s a class act.”

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