2023 Del Mar Debutante Stakes Preview

Juvenile fillies on the West Coast get their first chance at the top level on Saturday, September 9, in the Grade 1, $300,000 FanDuel Racing Del Mar Debutante. The race, the highlight of the juvenile fillies’ stakes schedule at Del Mar, drew a full field of 14 runners. All are based on the West Coast. Though only Dreamfyre and Pushiness are stakes winners so far, this is the time of year when real Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies prospects begin to arise. Though this does not award an automatic bid to the race, it will serve as a good prep for the Chandelier (G2).

Songbird, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, won the Del Mar Debutante in 2015. Other stars over the years who have won this race include Terlingua (1978), Landaluce (1982), Brave Raj (1986), Chilukki (1999), Halfbridled (2003), and Sweet Catomine (2004).

2023 Del Mar Debutante Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, September 9
• Track: Del Mar Racetrack
• Post Time: 6:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
• Distance: seven furlongs on the dirt
• Age/Sex: two-year-old fillies
• Where to Watch: TVG.com, FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

Del Mar Debutante Stakes Draw and Odds

This is the fourteen-horse field for the race, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Del Mar Debutante Stakes Prep Race Results

The 14 horses in the race come out of a total of nine different races. However, only four of the runners come out of stakes races. Unsurprisingly, three of those come out of the local prep, the Sorrento (G3). Dreamfyre, second choice on the morning line, won that race convincingly over Benedetta, while Motet (who debuted in that race) finished fourth. Pushiness is the only other runner with stakes experience, as she comes out of a win against fellow California-breds in the CTBA Stakes.

The other ten runners were last seen in maiden special weight company, and will make their stakes debut in this spot.

Seven of them ran most recently in maiden races on dirt. Tamara, the morning-line favorite, won a 6.5-furlong maiden special weight on the dirt on August 19, running down Hope Road, who held for second. Chatalas won a five-and-a-half-furlong maiden on July 30 at Del Mar, stalking and winning by half a length; Gate to Paradise chased on for a mild third in that race. Laurent handled a poor start in a five-and-a-half-furlong maiden at Del Mar on August 23, rallying from last to pip Where’s My Ring by a nose. Finally, Cheeky Gal disputed the pace and won by half a length in a six-furlong maiden sprint at Del Mar on August 6.

The other three runners come out of grass races, all at the maiden special weight level. Julias Dream took a five-furlong turf dash at Del Mar on August 6 from gate to wire, while Next Right Thing flattened to third; both were making their debuts in that race. Pretty Layla, the only one in the field cutting back from a two-turn trip, rallied for second in a turf mile on August 19. This may be a test for each of these horses, for whether to keep trying the dirt division or reroute toward Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf preps.

Del Mar Debutante Stakes Contenders

These are the twelve runners in the race, organized by post position.

1. Julias Dream: This “B” entry from the Michael McCarthy barn bounced to the front in a five-furlong turf dash on August 6, drawing off to win by 5 ½ lengths. Her pedigree suggests that seven furlongs might work out well for her. Her pedigree also suggests a change to dirt could be interesting, and her trainer does well on turf-to-dirt switches. The biggest question is the post; the rail is not the place to be in a 14-horse field.
2. Next Right Thing: She comes out of the same turf dash as Julias Dream, where she tracked the pace and flattened to third. Her sire, Fast Anna, was a quick dirt sprinter. However, underneath, her pedigree is far more aligned to turf and synthetic. Her tactical speed is a plus, but being drawn near the inside isn’t a positive in this field, and she may end up needing more time to develop no matter what surface ends up being best.
3. Pretty Layla: One of the few in the field who has two starts, she is still a maiden. She may have a fitness edge as she is the only one cutting back from two turns: she last ran in a one-mile race on grass. Based on both sides of her pedigree, there is a good chance that all that improvement from last out came from either the stretch out, the switch to grass, or both.
4. Benedetta: She wired a five-furlong maiden on debut at Los Alamitos, and was impressive enough to go off the chalk in the Sorrento. She tracked the pace and chased on earnestly enough, finishing 7 ¼ lengths clear of the third-place finisher, but was still no match for Dreamfyre. She needs to both turn the tables on that one and also prove that she does not need the lead to be a winner.
5. Hope Road: Though she is a maiden after two starts, she has shown some good versatility, closing from the rear after a bad start first out and setting the pace next out. She has tables to turn on Tamara, and may be more likely for a piece than to break her maiden here, but that versatility gives her a great shot to hit the board.
6. Chatalas: She stalked the pace and kept on going well to win her debut by half a length. Her pedigree appeals strongly for the step up in trip, and it is good to see high-percentage rider Juan Hernandez keep the faith. She won’t be the favorite, but she does have a good middle gate and a lot of upside in this spot.
7. Dreamfyre: One of only two two-time winners in the field, and the only graded stakes winner here, she led at every call in both her debut and the Sorrento. That proves some consistency and class, though she won’t be the only speed horse in this field and she will have to prove that she either has more early speed than the rest of the field or that she can win from off the pace. Knowing that, she may have enough talent, but she will be an underlay.
8. Pushiness: The other stakes winner in the field, she has only faced Cal-breds in her career and now steps up to face open company. Like Dreamfyre, she has led at every call in both of her starts, so she will also have to prove either that she is faster than the other speed or that she can come from off the pace.
9. Tamara: A daughter of champion Beholder, she will be heavily bet both on that beloved pedigree and off her maiden win. Her maiden win is exactly what you want to see coming into this race, too: not only did it come back fast, but it came in stalk-and-pounce fashion and she won at 6 ½ furlongs. That kind of form tends to translate well to seven. Among the short-priced horses in the race, she is probably the least underlaid just because of that proven tactical speed.
10. Where’s My Ring: She missed by a nose as a 35-1 bomber on debut in an August 13 maiden. She proved she could pass horses that day, but got caught by a horse who had a nightmare start, and also, the race did not come back terribly fast. Of course, she has upside with that experience and her pedigree to stretch out, but she will need to move forward significantly.
11. Motet: She made an ambitious debut in the Sorrento and finished midpack despite breaking slowly. However, she was nowhere near the top two finishers, both of whom she has to face again in this spot. Her pedigree suggests the distance may help her along, and her second start may help, but the low-percentage barn raises a lot of questions, as does the slow figure of the debut.
12. Gate to Paradise: She debuted in the same maiden race that Chatalas won, tracking inside and finishing a well-beaten third. She could move forward making her second start, though her pedigree suggests she’ll really find her best going two turns, not one. She also will have to handle a far-outside post, though that’s less of a worry going this extended sprint trip since there’s time to find a spot.
13. Laurent: After a tough start on debut last month, she rallied from last to get up by a nose over Where’s the Ring. She needs to improve off of that, but she could with a better start, and she has already proven she can pass horses. Seven furlongs should be fine given her pedigree, and her ability to rally from off the pace should let her find a spot and not lose too much ground come the turn.
14. Cheeky Gal: She is yet another speedhorse in a race with a lot of it. She has to handle an outside post, which isn’t as bad in a seven-furlong race as it could be at other distances, though the worry is still that she’s going to have to go too fast with so much other speed entered in this race.

Del Mar Debutante Stakes FAQ

Q: When and where is the Del Mar Debutante?

A: The race happens Saturday, September 9, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The race is carded as the 10th of 11 on the day.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Del Mar Debutante?

A: Bob Baffert has 10 wins in the Del Mar Debutante between 1995 and 2021. However, Bob Baffert did not enter a horse in the race this year. Among trainers with a horse in the 2023 edition, two of them lead with two wins apiece. Simon Callaghan (Benedetta) won with Moonshine Memories (2017) and Bellafina (2018), while Peter Miller (Cheeky Gal) won with Set Play (2007) and And Tell Me Nolies (2022).

Q: Who is the favorite for the Del Mar Debutante?

A: Tamara is the 7-2 morning-line favorite for the Del Mar Debutante. She impressed in her maiden win, and the fact that she is out of Beholder will also increase interest, but her running style suggests she might be the real deal. Be ready to see wagering action on morning-line second choice Dreamfyre (4-1), though; she is the only graded stakes winner in the field.

Q: Who is the best Del Mar Debutante jockey?

A: Gary Stevens, Bill Shoemaker, and Victor Espinoza lead with five wins each. Espinoza will try to take the record for himself this year, as he takes the call on Benedetta.

Q: Who won the Del Mar Debutante in 2022?

A: And Tell Me Nolies won the 2022 edition for trainer Peter Miller and jockey Ramon Vazquez. Miller returns with Cheeky Gal, while Vazquez does not have a call.