Princess Noor to Battle Astute in Starlet Stakes

Zedan Racing Stables' Princess Noor, knocked off her throne when beaten for the first time in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Keeneland Nov. 6, is the most accomplished 2-year-old filly in California.

Racing Dec. 5 in the $300,000 Starlet Stakes (G1) at Los Alamitos Race Course, she has an opportunity to prove she isn't just the most accomplished, but also the best. Princess Noor, who captured the Sept. 6 Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) at Del Mar and Sept. 26 Chandelier Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park, heads a short field of five for the 1 1/16-mile race that includes the up-and-coming Astute.

Princess Noor, a daughter of Not This Time  who topped the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training as a $1.35 million purchase by agent Gary Young, is one of three entries for Bob Baffert. The trainer also entered Anoakia Stakes winner Kalypso and Chandelier runner-up Varda.

Seeking improvement upon her Breeders' Cup effort, in which Princess Noor pressed the pace before fading to fifth, beaten 4 1/2 lengths by winner Vequist, Baffert removes the blinkers from her equipment. 

"I was going to take them off for the Breeders' Cup, but it was cutting it close," said Baffert, a Hall of Famer and six-time Starlet winner, including the past three years.  

Though she was unplaced in the Juvenile Fillies, Princess Noor still posted a career-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure, ahead of three figures in the upper 70s to begin her career. That three-race winning streak began in a summer maiden race at Del Mar. 

"Her Kentucky performance was kind of lackluster, but she came out of it well," Baffert said. "She didn't fire. They'll do that. I was really disappointed in that."

Victor Espinoza, who teamed with Baffert to win the 2015 Triple Crown aboard American Pharoah , will ride Princess Noor as he has throughout her career.

Possessing the highest Beyer in the race is LNJ Foxwoods' Astute, who posted an 88 in winning the Desi Arnaz Stakes at Del Mar Nov. 14 to improve to 2-for-2. Astute also won a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint at Santa Anita by a neck, running a 70 Beyer.

She is a frontrunning daughter of Speightstown  and a half sister to Classic Point (by Flatter ), whose most prestigious victories came around one turn when she won the one-mile Go For Wand Handicap (G3) in 2014 and the seven-furlong Inside Information Stakes (G2) in 2015. 

Astute is trained by Richard Mandella, who seeks his first win in the Starlet, a race that will be run at Los Alamitos for the seventh time after 33 renewals of the Hollywood Starlet at Hollywood Park.

Completing the field is Nasreddine, a $10,000 supplement by owners Andrew and Rania Warren. Trained by Michael McCarthy, the daughter of Nyquist  has a win in two starts and earnings of $45,200. 

Entries: Starlet S. (G1)

LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE, Saturday, December 05, 2020, Race 5

• Grade I
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $300,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 2:28 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Kalypso (KY)	Abel Cedillo	120	Bob Baffert	6/1
2	2Nasreddine (KY)	Tiago Josue Pereira	120	Michael W. McCarthy	15/1
3	3Princess Noor (KY)	Victor Espinoza	120	Bob Baffert	1/1
4	4Astute (KY)	Mike E. Smith	120	Richard E. Mandella	7/5
5	5Varda (NY)	Drayden Van Dyke	120	Bob Baffert	8/1