BY BROCK SHERIDAN
DEL MAR, CA—Second to stablemate Non Compliant last out in the Grade 2 Oak Leaf presented by Oak Tree, Florida-bred Nooni will try to turn the tables on her stablemate in the $2 million NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (Grade 1) Friday at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert for Amr Zedan’s Zedan Racing Stable Inc., the Florida-bred daughter of Ocala Stud’s leading Florida freshman sire Win Win Win is among 10 fillies entered to go a mile-and-a-sixteenth in the Juvenile Fillies.
Already a graded stakes winner over the Del Mar surface having won the six-furlong Sorrento (G3) by a length-and-a-half in August, Nooni disappointed when fifth in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante going seven furlongs on Sept. 7.
“I was really disappointed in her Del Mar [Debutante] race,” Baffert said. “She broke and there were horses next to her and she looks around a lot. She was in trouble the first 100 yards. [Jockey Juan Hernandez] was trying to hold her and she was fighting, fighting, fighting him. I wasn’t happy with the ride and [Hernandez] agreed he should have just let her run. Everything’s gotta go perfect for her and she has to have things her own way. But now that we figured her out, she’s doing really well.”
Nooni bounced back with a strong performance in her first race around two turns in the mile-and-a-sixteenth Oak Leaf presented by Oak Tree at Santa Anita on Oct. 5. She led through six furlongs in 1:11.65 before surrendering and finishing second to Non Compliant.
“When she turned for home, I thought she would kick it in another gear,” Baffert said. “But the track was really deep that day and since she’s come back and worked really nice. So she just needs a clean break and get out there rollin.”
Out of Unanimity, by Union Rags, Nooni first caught the attention of many when selling to Zedan for a sale-topping $1.8 million at this year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale where she was consigned by Ocala Stud. She has since earned $168,400 from winning half of her four career starts with one second.
Nooni was bred in Florida by Ocala Stud, Joseph M. O’Farrell III, David O’Farrell et. al. She will be ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat from post three. She is 15-1 on the morning line.
“We would have liked to have been about the four or five but she’s fine,” Baffert said of the post position. “The whole key is just to let her roll and take her a far as you can. She has brilliant speed that she showed at the sale.
“I really feel that we’ve worked with her and she’s getting more mature and I really see a big improvement in her. I really feel like she’s coming around and she’s started to show the filly that she is.
“Distance is not going to be a problem for her. At first, we didn’t know if she would go that far but she’ll go that far. I think she’ll do even better as a 3-year-old but she’s doing well right now.”
Nooni tries to become the sixth Florida-bred winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. She would join previous Sunshine State winners Twilight Ridge (1985), Brave Raj (1986), Meadow Star (1990), Awesome Feather (2010) and Caledonia Road (2017).
Non Compliant returns in an effort to keep her perfect record intact after two starts from the Baffert barn. Prior to the Oak Leaf, the daughter of Tiz the Law won a six-furlong maiden special weight at Del Mar on Aug. 31 by a length-and-a-half.
Non Compliant is owned by Georgia Antley Hunt, Jeff Giglia and John Rogitz and Juan Hernandez will ride from post seven. They are listed at 9-2 in the program.
Invading from the East Coast is Scottish Lassie, the 5-2 morning line favorite and a nine-length winner of the Grade 1 Frizette during the Belmont at Big A meet at Aqueduct on Oct. 5.
Scottish Lassie is trained and owned by Jorge Abreu with Sportsman Stable, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Photo Finish LLC and Corms Racng Stable.
A graduate of the early training program of Gene Recio of Ocala, Fla., Scottish Lassie was purchased out of the Recio consignment by Parkland Thoroughbreds for $85,000 at this year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale.
Scottish Lassie will be ridden from post 10 by Jose Lezcano.
Scottish Lassie will once again face Snowyte, who was the 6-5 favorite when second in the Frizette.
This will be the third time Snowyte and Scottlish Lassie have faced each other after finishing second and third respectively in their first career starts in a maiden special weight won by Quickick going seven furlongs at Saratoga on Sept. 1.
Trained by Danny Gargan for Pine Racing Stable, Don Alberto Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding LLC and R.A. Hill Stable Snowyte is by Good Magic out of Snow Fall, by War Front.
She is 15-1 on the morning line and will be ridden from post two by Luis Saez.
After her maiden score, Quickick trainer Tom Amoss elected to go to Keeneland with the daughter of McKenzie, where she finished second to Juvenile Fillies rival Immersive in the Grade 1 Alcibiades.
Quickick is 10-1 on the morning line and will be ridden from post five by Dylan Davis.
Immersive, who received her early training at Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, is undefeated in three starts including a length-and-a-quarter tally in the Grade 1 Spinaway over a muddy track at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 31. Trained by Brad Cox, the Godolphin LLC homebred daughter of Nyquist broke her maiden by two lengths at Saratoga going six furlongs in July.
Immersive will be ridden from post three by Manny Franco and they are 3-1 on the morning line.
Also set for the Juvenile Fillies are Vodka With a Twist with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, La Cara has Ricardo Santana Jr. named to ride, Otomena Shacho has Yuga Kawada and American Bikini (Jpn) will have Ryan Moore in the irons.
The Juvenile Fillies will be run as Race 7 and post time is 6:25 p.m. EDT. The race will be shown live on USA Network, Peacock and FanDuel TV.