Princess Karen auditions for Starlet

DEL MAR, Calif. – Princess Karen was well regarded before she made her first start, and ran to expectations, winning her debut last month at Santa Anita in a maiden race that has proven productive. When she starts on Friday in the featured seventh race at Del Mar, Princess Karen will be looking to repeat that effort, and, her connections hope, move on to the Grade 1 Starlet for 2-year-old fillies at Los Alamitos next month.

“The horse always does the talking,” Jeff Bonde, who trains and co-owns Princess Karen, said Wednesday morning. “That’s our hope, that she’ll keep on talking.”

Princess Karen was odds-on against five rivals in her debut off a series of fast works. Both the second- and third-place finishers in that race have come back to win, underscoring the quality of the effort.

“The filly had trained very well,” Bonde said. “She’s a good-minded horse. She ran like that kind of horse.”

Friday’s race, like her first start, is at seven furlongs. The $59,000 first-level allowance drew six other fillies, including Fact of Life, a maiden winner second time out at Los Alamitos for trainer Bob Baffert, and Lake Time, who is cutting back to a sprint for trainer Eric Kruljac after finishing fifth in the Grade 1 Chandelier last time out.

Race 7

KEY CONTENDERS

Princess Karen, by Stay Thirsty

Beyer: 75

◗ She has only the one start, but her fig is faster than any of her rivals have earned in 17 starts combined.

◗ Mike Smith, aboard for her debut, is back.

Fact of Life, by The Factor

Beyers: 69-61

◗ She was third first time out in a race from which the first three finishers all came back to win.

“The race she won at Los Alamitos wasn’t a real strong race,” Baffert said Wednesday. “She’s got to beat the Bonde filly.”

Lake Time, by Tapizar

Last 3 Beyers: 71-67-52

◗ Her first two starts, both sprints here during the summer, did not get fast numbers, but she does seem to be improving and she should appreciate the cut-back in distance, as she appears to be best as a late-running sprinter.

Auntjenn, by Uncle Mo

Last 3 Beyers: 61-60-66

◗ She’s the most-experienced runner in the race, with five starts.

◗ She went long on turf in her last two races, and finished out of the money in both. The return to a sprint and to dirt should be of benefit, as she beat maidens here during the summer before finishing third in the Grade 2 Sorrento, both times sprinting on dirt. The Sorrento was won by subsequent Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Champagne Room.