BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Nooni continues to live up to her $1.8 million Ocala Breeders’ Sales price tag as the Florida-bred filly ran away with the Grade 3 Sorrento at Del Mar Saturday. The 2-year-old daughter of Ocala Stud’s first crop sire Win Win Win was the top seller at this year’s OBS March Sale and won for the second time in two starts with an easy victory in the $147,000 contest for 2-year-old fillies going six furlongs.
The Bob Baffert-trained Nooni broke well from post one and jockey Juan Hernandez had her quickly on task as she led stablemate Casalu coming out of the backstretch chute. Casalu prompted Nooni through a quarter-mile in :21.87 and tried to challenge her in the turn but could keep up as they turned for home. Vodka With a Twist also tried to test Nooni down the lane but could not catch the swift winner. Nooni finished a length-and-a-half in front of Vodka With a Twist in second with Casalu another three-and-a-quarter lengths farther back in third. Night Beacon was fourth and last.
“She was really comfortable. She was really quick out of the gate,” Hernandez said. “I had to push her a little at the end, but we did it. I asked her to run around the quarter pole and she switched leads and picked it up really well. You know, she gave me another good breath and she took another good step. It’s only her second race but she looks really good so far. Can’t wait to see how she improves.”
Nooni finished in 1:10.41 on the fast track and paid $3 to win.
“When you’re on the inside like that you have to go,” Baffert said. “I was hoping they wouldn’t be battling each other. They went fast early, but I like the way Nooni kept on going. I haven’t really trained her that hard, but she’s just got real class. [A] 2-year-old, second out, you don’t know how they’re going to respond to the dirt. But these are nice fillies.”
She remained undefeated after an impressive nine-and-a-half-length thrashing of maiden special weight fillies after five furlongs at Santa Anita on June 13.
Owner Amr Zedan purchased Nooni at the March Sale out of the Ocala Stud consignment. She just missed becoming the first stakes winner for her sire after Win N Your In took that honor just a few hours earlier with a victory in the $95,000 Sharp Susan at Gulfstream Park.
Bred in Florida by Ocala Stud, Joseph M. O’Farrell III, David O’Farrell, et. al., Nooni is out of the Florida-bred mare Unanimity, by Union Rags. Unanimity has two winners from two starters and five foals including an unnamed yearling colt by Win Win Win and an unnamed weanling colt by Ocala Stud stallion Gretzky the Great. She was bred back to Win Win Win in 2024.
