BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Third in the July 4 Great Lady M (Grade 2) at Los Alamitos Race Course after more than 19 months away, Florida-bred Nooni prevailed to win against upper tier $62,500 optional claiming fillies and mares racing six furlongs at Ellis Park Sunday.
Trained by Bob Baffert for Amr Zedan’s Zedan Racing Stables, the 4-year-old daughter of Ocala Stud’s Win Win Win also earned a $3,000 Export Incentive for the victory at this level outside Florida paid to her breeders by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
Ridden for the first time by Florent Geroux, Nooni veered to the right at the start from her outside post six but still produced a momentary lead. Cut to the Chase then sprinted for the lead from post five before being joined on the inside by Me and Molly McGee and those two clicked off an honest :22.99 first quarter mile with Nooni patiently stalking them three-wide. Nooni took a short lead coming off the turn then came down the lane a length in front as Cut to the Chase dropped back. Nooni went under the wire a length-and-a-half clear of a photo for place between late runners Flat Out Time in second with She’z the Law third. Cut to the Chase, Me and Molly McGee and Irina’s Charm finished in that order. Taqdeer was scratched. The final time was 1:10.85 on a fast track.
Nooni paid $4.02 as the even-money favorite.
A $1.8 million topper of the 2024 Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale when purchased out of the Ocala Stud consignment for Donato Lanni as an agent for Zedan Racing, Nooni won that year’s Grade 3 Sorrento at Del Mar in her second start.
She was also second in the Grade 2 Oak Leaf presented by Oak Tree at Santa Anita before returning to Del Mar for the Net Jets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). She led the Juvenile Fillies for six furlongs before tiring to finish sixth.
Her final start in 2024 and last before returning in July was a fifth in the Grade 2 Starlet at Santa Anita in December. She was later named the 2024 Florida-bred champion 2-year-old filly by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
Bred in Florida by Ocala Stud, Joseph M. O’Farrell III, David O’Farrell et al., Nooni has now won three with a second and a third in eight starts for earnings of $269,260. She is out of the Union Rags mare Unanimity.
Return to the August 4 issue of Wire to Wire
