DEL MAR, Calif. – If not for her $1.8 million auction price, one might look at the favorite in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Saturday and wonder – what’s all the fuss? Make no mistake. Nooni is good. But opinions differ on just how good. Nooni has won both her starts at odds-on, racing short distances under ideal conditions. Neither race hints Nooni is invincible in the seven-furlong Debutante against stakes winner Vodka With a Twist, who Nooni already beat; Tenma, a stablemate of Nooni begging for two turns; and debut winner Proud Starlet, the main pace rival for Nooni. Seven entered the $300,000 Del Mar Debutante, race 4 on a card that includes the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, race 5 with Thought Process and Supa Speed. The Grade 2 John C. Mabee Stakes, for fillies and mares on turf, is race 9 with Didia and Anisette. Bob Baffert trains Nooni, who won her debut at odds of 1-5 racing five furlongs in June at Santa Anita. Only one filly she beat has won since. Next out, Nooni was 1-2 racing six furlongs in the Grade 3 Sorrento at Del Mar. Nooni caught an inside-speed-biased surface and wired three rivals. The pressure increases in the Debutante, and Baffert acknowledged “there’s probably going to be a lot of pace.” Perhaps it will not matter to Nooni, a $1.8 million daughter of $5,000 stallion Win Win Win who owner Amr Zedan purchased at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. March sale of 2-year-olds. :: DRF's Del Mar Handicapping Packages: Get everything you need to play the races with confidence. But the Debutante is a true test for Nooni and jockey Juan Hernandez, who face a hot pace and recent history. Only one of the last seven Sorrento winners to contest the Debutante won. Eight of the last nine Debutante winners were moving up from maiden races. Baffert’s second entrant, debut winner Tenma, matches the maiden-to-Debutante pattern. “I didn’t expect her to win first out,” Baffert said. “She’s a filly that has two turns written all over her. She’s come back and worked well, but she’s going to want two turns.” Tenma rallied wide to win her debut at 5 1/2 furlongs and should like seven furlongs under jockey Kazushi Kimura. If a route is what she wants, the Grade 2 Oak Leaf Stakes will be in her wheelhouse, 1 1/16 miles on Oct. 5 at Santa Anita. While a fast pace might provide late-runner Tenma an opportunity to upset the Debutante, the Del Mar surface has favored speed all summer, including races at seven furlongs. Four of the five races at the distance were won by the pacesetter. Nooni’s main rival is Vodka With a Twist, who won the Churchill Downs Debutante in June before relocating to California and finishing second to Nooni in the Sorrento. Vodka With a Twist’s trainer, Phil D’Amato, noted the effort was “better than looked.” “I kind of was stumped by her breaking on top, falling back to last, and making a giant move,” D’Amato said. :: Get Del Mar Clocker Reports straight from the morning workouts at the track. Available every race day. The summary is accurate. Vodka With a Twist was quick from the gate, settled wide, uncorked a middle move, and finished 1 1/2 lengths behind Nooni. Mike Smith rides Vodka With a Twist again in the Debutante. “I think Mike will have figured her out after that last race,” D’Amato said. “We’re going to stick with Mike, he knows how to win big races and he knows her a little better now.” Vodka With a Twist is high strung and sometimes cantankerous, but she is all business when the gates open. Her impressive workout Aug. 31 suggests she can improve off her runner-up finish in the Sorrento and possibly turn the tables on Nooni. Proud Starlet drew the rail under Umberto Rispoli and must use her speed. Nooni is outside her in post 2. Night Beacon, who did not get away well and finished fourth in the Sorrento, is expected to produce speed under Kyle Frey. Last-out maiden dirt sprint winner So There She Was and last-out maiden turf-route winner Jack’s Magic Girl complete the field. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.