Sorrento Runners All Entering Off Victories
Image:
Description:
Big Chief Racing's Right There and KMN Racing's Stays in Vegas enter the $200,000 Sorrento Stakes (gr. II) at Del Mar Aug. 12 off maiden-breaking stakes wins, but will take on a tough group of highly regarded 2-year-old fillies in the 6 1/2-furlong test.
Every filly entered in the Sorrento is coming off a victory.
Right There, a daughter of Eskendereya who will break from the rail under jockey Kent Desormeaux, closed to win the Landaluce Stakes at Santa Anita Park by 4 3/4 lengths last time out June 21.
Stays in Vegas, a City Zip filly trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, will head south after a commanding six-length victory in the Juan Gonzalez Memorial Stakes at the Oak Tree at Pleasanton meet on the Northern California fair circuit.
But stakes experience may not be enough for those two if six-figure purchases Uptown Twirl, Undisputed, Pretty N Cool, and One True Kiss show their best in the Sorrento.
All four are coming off maiden special weight victories, but Uptown Twirl brought the highest price of the group—$630,000—at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s 2015 March sale of 2-year-olds in training. The daughter of Twirling Candy won her debut at five furlongs by a half-length June 18 at Santa Anita.
Undisputed was also a half-length debut winner at five furlongs July 4 at Los Alamitos Race Course. The Street Boss filly was a $450,000 buy at the same OBS sale Uptown Twirl was in.
The most impressive on the track—by speed figures, at least—was Bob Baffert-trained Pretty N Cool, a Scat Daddy filly who was purchased for $160,000 at the Keeneland 2014 September yearling sale. She won her debut July 19 at Del Mar by 4 1/2 lengths, running the five furlongs in :57.80 over a sloppy dirt track.
Other impressive maiden winners entered in the Sorrento are Sooner Time (5 1/2 furlongs, by 3 1/4 lengths at Del Mar July 23), One True Kiss (5 1/2 furlongs, by 1 3/4 lengths at Los Alamitos July 12), and Gomo (a mile on the turf, by 5 1/4 lengths at Santa Anita June 25).