Princess Noor cruises, survives inquiry in Del Mar Debutante
DEL MAR, Calif. – Princess Noor is clearly the best 2-year-old filly on this circuit. She proved that Sunday by romping over her rivals in the Grade 1, $250,500 Del Mar Debutante, following an equally easy victory just 15 days earlier.
But on Sunday she had to survive a stewards’ inquiry into the start that went in her favor, but left the aggrieved parties rubbed raw.
Princess Noor, in post 4 in a field of six 2-year-old fillies, veered left exiting the gate and bumped into My Girl Red, who was to her immediate left, while also tightening things up on the two horses farther inside, Roll Up Mo Money and Get On The Bus.
Seven furlongs later, Princess Noor was breezing under Victor Espinoza as she came across the wire, 6 1/2 lengths clear of runner-up Forest Caraway. Her dominance was almost disdainful. But a furlong into the race, My Girl Red had been pulled up.
The stewards unanimously voted to leave Princess Noor first. She gave her trainer, Bob Baffert, his ninth win in the Debutante, and gave owner Amir Zedan’s Zedan Racing Stables both cash and residual returns on the $1.35 million he authorized agent Gary Young to spend on her in April at the 2-year-old sale in Ocala.
While the inquiry sign was lit, Peter Miller, who trains Forest Caraway and was watching proceedings in the tunnel that leads from the paddock to the track, loudly opined to anyone around that “they won’t do anything, it’s Baffert.”
“If it was me, they’d take her down,” he said.
When track announcer John Lies informed that Princess Noor would stay up, Miller turned around and walked quickly back toward the paddock.
“Did you expect anything else?” he said.
My Girl Red, previously unbeaten in two starts and winner of last month’s Sorrento Stakes, walked off the track. Flavien Prat, who rode her, said she was “bumped,” then was “moving poorly,” then “took a bad step at the chute,” causing him to pull her up.
Erich Brehm, who owns and bred My Girl Red, posted to his Twitter account following the race that My Girl Red "jumped tractor tracks and Flavien pulled her up just to be safe."
"She's back at the barn cooling down and completely sound," Brehm wrote.
Princess Noor ($3.40) was heavily favored based on her maiden score on Aug. 22 going 5 1/2 furlongs, a race in which Espinoza sat chilly on her through the lane, with the knowledge that a quick turnaround was likely if she came through as hoped.
She is clearly a special filly. She cruised up outside leaders Illumination and Forest Caraway on the far turn following an opening quarter in 23.01 seconds and half in 45.49, then drew away through the lane and covered seven furlongs on the fast main track in 1:23.15.
Forest Caraway finished 2 1/4 lengths in front of third-place Illumination, then came Get On The Bus and Roll Up Mo Money.
Princess Noor earned a first prize of $150,000.
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Espinoza said the assistant starter had Princess Noor’s head turned slightly to the left just as the gate was sprung.
“I grabbed her as fast as I could,” he said. “I don’t think I really bothered anybody. I did the best I could. After that, she was very professional. I was really impressed.”
Princess Noor, from the first crop of Not This Time, just might be the pro-tem leader for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 6 at Keeneland.
“I don’t know how good she is,” Espinoza said. “I never let her run.”