At first glance, Sharons Maxfield would seem overmatched in her debut for trainer Richard Baltas in a maiden race for 2-year-olds at Del Mar on Sunday. The field includes three runners trained by Bob Baffert bought for prices ranging from $550,000 to $1.15 million at auction. But a glance at very recent history presents another point of view. On Aug. 30, the Baltas-trained Heaven's Bolt won a six-furlong maiden race for 2-year-old fillies in her debut, beating a field that included Misstrail, a Baffert-trained runner who was the 11-10 favorite. Heaven's Bolt was the third first-time starter to win for Baltas at Del Mar since the first of August. Even with those statistics in his favor, Baltas knows Sharons Maxfield has a difficult task against the Baffert team of Boyd, Cherokee Nation, and Rhodes in Sunday’s sixth race on the final day of the Del Mar summer meeting. “I think the horse can run a little bit,” Baltas said of Sharons Maxfield. “There are three Bafferts in there. He’s got us over a barrel.” :: Play to Win at Del Mar! Get DRF Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Picks, and Betting Strategies all in one place.  Baffert, the leading trainer at the Del Mar summer meeting through Thursday with 20 wins, has won two stakes and six maiden races with 2-year-olds since the summer season began on July 18. He has three runners in Saturday’s Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante and four in Sunday’s Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity. Those races are run at seven furlongs and are worth $300,000. Sharons Maxfield, who is by Maxfield, drew the outside post in a field of 10 and will be ridden by Flavien Prat. Owned by Panic Stable, Sharons Maxfield has had a steady pattern of workouts since early June. “I don’t think he’ll be on the lead,” Baltas said. “We’ll let him get his feet underneath him and make a run. He’s had enough decent works.” Heaven's Bolt won in the same closing manner. “I think if they win first time for me, they’re pretty good,” Baltas said. “I try to get a race in them.” Sharons Maxfield was purchased for $230,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sale of 2-year-olds in training in March. By comparison, Boyd was bought for $1.05 million at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale in May. Cherokee Nation cost $1.15 million at the 2024 Keeneland September yearling sale, the same auction at which Rhodes was acquired for $550,000. Boyd, who drew the inside post, has had quick workouts in recent weeks. By Violence, Boyd is a half-brother to the stakes-placed Microcap. Cherokee Nation, by Not This Time, is out of the turf stakes winner Believe in Charlie. Rhodes, who is by Uncle Mo, is a half-brother to Queen of Thorns, who was second in the Grade 3 Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita in 2022.   Boyd has been in training at Santa Anita, while Cherokee Nation and Rhodes have been based in recent months at Baffert’s Los Alamitos stable. In a text message on Friday, Baffert said of his trio that he was “just trying to get races into them.” Of the other six runners entered in the race, two have race experience, including Sendit Mo, who showed speed before fading to finish third behind Litmus Test in a maiden race at 5 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 16. Sendit Mo is trained by Peter Miller, who also has second-time starter Cactus Charlie on the also-eligible list. Litmus Test is trained by Baffert and is entered in the Del Mar Futurity. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.