Led by three-time winner Final Mesa, trained by Wesley Ward, a field of
eight 2-year-old fillies was entered to run in the 42nd edition of Friday's
Grade III, $150,000 Sorrento Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track.
Final Mesa's three
victories have come at three tracks -- Keeneland,
Delaware Park and Woodbine. Her
maiden win at Keeneland and her third victory -- a stakes race at Woodbine --
were runaways by more than seven lengths each. The in-between win -- also a
stakes -- was by 4 3/4 lengths.
She'll have leading rider Joel Rosario aboard, who
was in the irons this morning for a light half-mile breeze in 51.80. Final Mesa's workout record
shows another slow work -- 3 furlongs in 39 seconds -- before her blowout win
at Woodbine.
Local competition will be sharpest in the form of
two-time, undefeated filly Dawnie Macho, trained by John Sadler, and a pair
from the Bob Baffert barn, A Z Warrior and Alienation, both undefeated in
maiden outings. Joe Talamo rides Dawnie Macho, who won Hollywood Park's
Landaluce Stakes, and Martin Garcia rides A Z Warrior and Russell Baze has the
call on Alienation. They both were Hollywood
maiden winners.
Trainer Vladimir Cerin's She'll Heir won her first
two starts before finishing fourth in the Landaluce. She gets Patrick
Valenzuela in the irons.
Two more Landaluce runners will show up in the Sorrento -- the maiden
Izshelegal, who was a flying second to Dawnie Macho, and Belleofthebridle, who
was third. Izshelegal, trained by Terry Knight, retains Victor Espinoza in the
saddle and David Flores has the call back on Belleofthebridle for trainer
Walther Solis.
Another Hollywood
maiden winner coming forward is the Doug O'Neill-trained Wickedly Perfect, who
will be ridden by Rafael Bejarano.