The first winner for freshman sire Texas Red, My Girl Red is now his first stakes heroine too after drawing off in Friday’s $150,500 Sorrento Stakes (G2) at Del Mar. The 9-10 favorite not only raised her profile ahead of the Sept. 6 Del Mar Debutante (G1), but hinted that maybe she could even develop into a Breeders’ Cup contender for her Juvenile (G1)-winning sire.
My Girl Red shares connections with Texas Red, as an Erich Brehm homebred trained by Keith Desormeaux. Unlike her sire, who broke his maiden after stepping up to two turns, My Girl Red has displayed speed to go 2-for-2 in sprints.
Her Sorrento resembled her June 14 debut in a 4 1/2-furlong dash at Santa Anita, in that the bay traveled sweetly on the lead for Flavien Prat. Not the quickest out of the gate at Del Mar, My Girl Red was just naturally fast enough to overtake Scaterra through an opening quarter in :22.17. September Secret advanced to chase through the half in :45.88, until first-time starter Get on the Bus rallied into the second spot entering the stretch.
My Girl Red was already long gone. Opening up down the lane, she coasted by 4 3/4 lengths while finishing 6 furlongs in 1:12.12.
Get on the Bus, the only other Del Mar Debutante nominee in the field, was easily best of the rest. The 2.80-1 second choice broke well from her rail post, stalked early before losing position, then launched a sustained effort to cross the wire five lengths clear. This should be a good learning experience for the $340,000 daughter of Uncle Mo.
Exchange Vows, the 19-1 longest shot on the board, stayed on for third. Next came Scat’s Choice, the tiring September Secret, and the long-way last Scaterra. The withdrawn Trip to Seoul had been part of James Chapman’s trio along with Scat’s Choice and Scaterra.
“I didn’t have any special instructions, just ride her with confidence,” Prat said. “She showed speed away from there, then we got a nice breather on the turn. From there she just went on and won in hand.”
Desormeaux recognized that the final time wasn’t anything special, but noted that My Girl Red has a touch of class and potential to do better.
“Flavien was telling me how she was looking around and kind of lost interest the last eighth,” her trainer said. “What was nice to me was that she was doing that the first quarter. I know it’s still early and the time is average. But I think she can go even quicker and I sure don’t want to complain. She has always shown signs of class and it’s nice to see one duplicate in the afternoon what we see in the mornings. Debutante is next.”
My Girl Red is the fourth stakes performer for her dam, the stakes-placed Fusaichi Pegasus mare Morakami, after reigning Smarty Jones and Sugar Bowl scorer Gold Street; Grade 3-placed Oh Marvelous Me; and Over Thinking, a neck second in last summer’s CTT and TOC S. on the Del Mar turf.
Brehm purchased Morakami for $21,000, when carrying Gold Street, at Keeneland January in 2017. My Girl Red was offered as a yearling at OBS last October, but RNA’d for $70,000. She’s now earned $120,000.
