Zedan Racing Stables’ unbeaten Princess Noor stretched out to two turns for the first time in her third career starts, making short work of her four rivals in the Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., on Saturday.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, the Bob Baffert-trained daughter of freshman sire Not This Time covered 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:45.59 and paid $2.40 as the heavy favorite. Varda completed a Baffert-exacta, finishing second ahead of Miss Co9sta Rica, with Illumination fourth and Make Mischief trailing the field.
This was Baffert’s 12th win in the Chandelier, formerly known as the Oak Leaf Stakes.
The Chandelier is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series race, giving an automatic, fees-paid berth in the Juvenile Fillies to the winner.
Breaking from the rail, Espinoza allowed Princess Noor to settle in just behind another Baffert runner, Illumination, who took the field through early fractions of :23.51, :48.28 and 1:12.95 for the opening six furlongs.
Princess Noor shifted to the outside approaching the far turn, quickly put away Illumination on the turn for home and cruised to the wire in hand after a mile fractional time of 1:45.59.
Bred in Kentucky by International Equities Holding Inc., Princess Noor was purchased for $1,350,000 at the OBS April Sale of 2-year-olds in training earlier this year.
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