Sorrento Sky trying to earn out Breeders' Cup supplement in Eddie D

Sorrento Sky earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Oct. 31 at Keeneland with a win in the Grade 2 Green Flash Handicap on Aug. 22 at Del Mar.

The problem is the Irish-bred Sorrento Sky was not nominated to the Breeders’ Cup earlier in his life and must be supplemented to the program for the staggering fee of $200,000. The payment is due Oct. 19, the day of pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup.

A win in Saturday’s Grade 2 Eddie D Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course would help finance such a heavy investment.

The winner of the $200,000 Eddie D Stakes receives $120,000. Sorrento Sky earned the same for his win in the Green Flash, the richest payday of his 21-race career and his second start since being gelded in late May.

“Gelding him has just changed him,” D’Amato said. “As a colt, he was more of a nervous Nellie in his races. Now, he seems to be more relaxed in the post parade, and it lends to a better performance.”

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A win in the Eddie D Stakes will not be easy for Sorrento Sky. The race drew nine entrants, notably Freedom’s Not Free, Later Than Planned, Nesso’s Lasthurrah, and Sumter, winners on the hillside course earlier this year.

Also entered are First Peace, who won the 2024 Eddie D Stakes, and the speedy Virat, who set the pace in the Green Flash and finished third by 1 1/2 lengths.

Freedom’s Not Free, Sumter, and First Peace were the first three finishers in the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes on the hillside turf course in June. Sumter won a five-furlong allowance race on turf on July 19 at Del Mar, but finished a quiet fifth by three lengths as the 7-2 second choice in the Green Flash.

The loss surprised Mandella.

“I still haven’t figured out what went wrong,” he said. “He’s feeling good and I expect him to run one of his big races.”

Mandella also runs the 4-year-old filly Amorita, who won the Daisycutter Stakes at five furlongs on turf for fillies and mares on July 25 at Del Mar and was fourth in the restricted Tranquility Lake Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on dirt on Sept. 5.

Mandella said the Eddie D Stakes gives Amorita a start before the Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes for fillies and mares on the hillside turf course on Oct. 24.

“I think she’s a good sprinter on the grass,” Mandella said. “We don’t have a filly race for a month, so I thought we’d try this.”

John Harris Stakes

Little Opal, the easy winner of two turf sprints at Del Mar, will be a strong favorite to win her stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 3 John C. Harris Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course.

Trained by Doug O’Neill for Don Dizney, Little Opal led throughout her two wins in the summer, both at five furlongs. The $100,000 Harris is her longest race.

Little Opal is part of a field of 10 that includes Mo’ Em Down and Yours Sincerely, the sharp winners of five-furlong allowance races on turf at the Del Mar summer meeting, and Brave Deb, who has not raced since she finished last of 12 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar last October.

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