Spectator Has More to Prove in Del Mar Debutante

It's the horseman's mantra—don't get too far ahead of yourself.

But when a young horse performs the way Rick and Sharon Waller's Spectator did in the Aug. 5 Sorrento Stakes (G2), it's hard not to look toward the future.

The 2-year-old Jimmy Creed  filly engaged in a speed duel that Saturday at Del Mar—and the fractions of :21.93 and :45.05 made sure she earned it—and pulled away from a highly regarded field to win by 5 1/4 lengths.

"It's a double-edged sword," Spectator's trainer, Phil D'Amato, said of the excitement and optimism following the race. "You always have to take these things one race at a time, but you have to also take a step back and have a bigger picture in mind."

For Spectator the bigger picture of her 2-year-old campaign, if everything goes right, will feature the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), but a most important step comes Sept. 2 in the $300,000 Del Mar Debutante (G1).

Once again the homebred filly will have to contend with flashy sale prices among her competitors in the Debutante, but her on-track performance has engendered confidence in her trainer.

"There's a bunch of quality fillies in there—a bunch of nice maiden winners," D'Amato said. "But every step of the way, you have to prove yourself in these races. Now we have to take the next step up, while also letting her develop along the way."

The source of D'Amato's confidence is how Specator has won her two races and the versatility he believes she has.

During the Sorrento, Spectator stayed close to early leader and favorite Surrender Now (who tired and finished last), but in her debut June 23 at Santa Anita Park, she stalked the early pace after a break from post 10 and showed an ability to settle and pass horses.

BALAN: Spectator Blows Away Sorrento Field

"She shows all those traits when she trains," D'Amato said. "She can sit off, and when she gets called upon, she can find that next gear. I definitely love her versatility, because that's quality. You'll always find those 2-year-olds that can go as fast as they can, as far as they can, and win some nice races. But the ones down the road, who can stretch out and still be quality horses—those are the ones that can show that versatility."

Although D'Amato says Spectator "has not missed a beat" in her training since the Sorrento, she'll likely have to bring another top performance to keep her record unblemished, as the challengers who will line up to take her on Saturday have displayed ample talent.

With some context, the debut win of Gas Station Sushi may have been the best of the six last-out winners entered, not including Spectator.

Trainer Richard Baltas said after the win that Riley Racing Stables, Jason Tackitt, and Megan Tackitt's Into Mischief  filly overcame significant impediments en route to her 3 1/2-length win over Broome, who finished another 11 1/4 lengths ahead of the rest of the field.

"She grabbed a quarter and lost a shoe," Baltas said of Gas Station Sushi's win at Del Mar Aug. 6. "We had to wait a few days, and she actually came out of it sound. But to do something like that, for a horse with one shoe off, that's a lot."

With plenty of speed lined up—Gas Station Sushi, Gabrielleelizabeth, Moonshine Memories, and Just a Smidge all raced on the lead or were part of a duel in their maiden-breaking wins—the door could be open for a closing rush in the seven-furlong Debutante.

Maiden Dancing Belle, who came in second in the Sorrento, and Fox Hill Farms' debut winner Poetic—who raced in seventh early July 30 before she finished 1 1/2 lengths on top at the wire—appear to be the two, along with Spectator, that could be aided by a hot pace.

Southern Equine Stable's Gabrielleelizabeth is the only out-of-towner in the field and is trained by Eric Guillot. The Bellamy Road  filly finished a far-back fourth in her debut at Gulfstream Park going 4 1/2 furlongs, but won her second start in gate-to-wire fashion going six furlongs in South Florida July 23.

Entries: Del Mar Debutante S. (G1)

Del Mar, Saturday, September 02, 2017, Race 7

• Grade I
• 7f
• Dirt
• $300,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 4:57 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Gabrielleelizabeth (KY)	Evin A. Roman	118	Eric J. Guillot	20/1
2	2Moonshine Memories (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Simon Callaghan	6/1
3	3Spectator (KY)	Jamie Theriot	123	Philip D'Amato	5/2
4	4Gas Station Sushi (KY)	Corey S. Nakatani	120	Richard Baltas	7/2
5	5Just a Smidge (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	120	Bob Baffert	3/1
6	6Piedi Bianchi (IN)	Mario Gutierrez	120	Doug F. O'Neill	12/1
7	7Dancing Belle (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	118	J. Keith Desormeaux	12/1
8	8Poetic (KY)	Mike E. Smith	120	Richard E. Mandella	4/1