2026 Del Mar Debutante Stakes Preview

Key Takeaways:

• The early September Del Mar Debutante has a lightly raced field, with only Holmby bringing graded-stakes-winning form and several runners still trying to prove themselves at this level.
• There’s plenty of early speed, particularly from Miss Monica, Fast Amy, and Panda Listen, which could make the ability to stalk and finish especially important over seven furlongs.
• Holmby (4-1) has already shown she can switch from speed to a stalking trip, and another contested pace could give her the ideal setup to remain unbeaten.
• Well Versed (12-1) gets a better pace scenario than she did in her debut against Miss Monica, and her pedigree and extended one-turn experience give her upside at a price.
• Miss Monica (8-5) is the most accomplished of the speed horses and has already won at 6 ½ furlongs, but she’ll need to prove she can handle pressure from both sides at a short price.

One of the traditional closing-weekend features of the Del Mar meet is the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante. A seven-furlong sprint on the dirt, the race offers a $300,000 purse. Though there is not a bid to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at stake, the race often showcases horses who run well in later preps for the race, as well as at the Breeders’ Cup itself.

The 10-horse field features one graded-stakes winner: Holmby, who won the Sorrento (G3) by a neck for trainer Bob Baffert on August 9. Perhaps her toughest foe hails from her own barn – Miss Monica, who won a maiden race on debut in fast fashion on August 9 at Del Mar. Other than Holmby, the field has two other stakes winners as well, both in state-bred company. Free Closer romped against California-breds in the California Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Stakes at Del Mar on August 2. Panda Listen blew out Ohio-breds in the Miss Ohio at Thistledown on August 8, and now tries the big girls.

Stars who have won the Del Mar Debutante over the years include Terlingua (1978), Landaluce (1982), Brave Raj (1986), Chilukki (1999), Halfbridled (2003), Sweet Catomine (2004), and Songbird (2015). More recently, horses like Bellafina (2018) and Tenma (2024) have gone on to win the Santa Anita Oaks the next year.

2026 Del Mar Debutante Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, September 5
• Track: Del Mar Racetrack
• Post Time: 6:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
• Distance: seven furlongs on the dirt
• Age/Sex: two-year-old fillies
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Del Mar Debutante Stakes Draw and Odds

These are the entrants in the 2026 Del Mar Debutante, including their post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Del Mar Debutante Stakes Prep Race Results

As is fairly common for juvenile races this early in the season, the runners in the Del Mar Debutante are a mix of horses with stakes experience and ones coming straight out of maiden company.

The only horses coming out of graded-stakes company are the ones coming out of the Sorrento (G3) on August 9 at Del Mar. Holmby won the race in stalk-and-pounce fashion, getting up by a neck to win. The only other horse coming out of the Sorrento is Crazy Hot Mess, who chased off the pace and finished a flat sixth, 7 ¾ lengths adrift of Holmby.

Three others come out of ungraded stakes races. For the Win, the only horse in the field who has gone seven furlongs, was second by seven lengths in the Ellis Park Debutante on August 9. Two others come out of state-bred stakes. Free Closer stalked and pounced to beat California-breds by 8 ¼ lengths in the 5 ½-furlong CTBA at Del Mar on August 2. Panda Listen led at every call to break her maiden against Ohio-breds in the six-furlong Miss Ohio at Thistledown on August 8.

Four others come out of straight maiden special weight company. Morning-line favorite Miss Monica went gate to wire in her debut August 9 in a 6 ½-furlong race at Del Mar; Well Versed stalked the pace and chased her home, beaten 5 ¾ lengths but still 10 ¼ lengths clear of the show horse. Fast Amy graduated at second, asking August 2 at Ellis, surviving a speed duel and winning the six-furlong race by two lengths. Dear Diary debuted in a maiden special weight going 5 ½ furlongs at Del Mar on August 22; she broke slowly but made up a lot of ground late to finish second by a length.

Avalon Rose broke her maiden August 2 in a maiden-optional claiming race where she was protected under the $150,000 auction price condition. She rallied from midfield to win the 5 ½-furlong race by 3 ¼ lengths.

Del Mar Debutante Stakes Contenders

These are the 10 entrants in the 2026 Del Mar Debutante, organized by post position.

1. Panda Listen: This Brendan Walsh trainee is Ohio-bred, though being by Tiz the Law out of a Giant’s Causeway mare and selling for $200,000 as a juvenile, there's nothing provincial about her. She needed her debut after dueling on the pace; second out, she seized the lead, turned back a foe, and opened up to win by six. It’s a big step up from Ohio-bred stakes to Grade 1 races, though, and she won’t have it easy with other speed drawn outside of her.
2. Dear Diary: One of two maidens in the field, she has upside after blowing the start and finishing well to be a close second on debut last month. Trainer Richard Mandella tends to place his horses fairly cautiously…though, on the other hand, his runners don’t win often second-time out, meaning he may not have her quite on top form yet, even in this. But, with several horses in the field who can show speed, if she gets a better start it wouldn’t be a shock for her to have enough in the tank to pass some runners late.
3. Avalon Rose: She was dueled into submission on debut at Ellis, but a ship west to Del Mar went much better: she stayed off the pace, proved she could pass horses, and won by daylight. The good news is, she has proven she can make up ground at Del Mar and should have a few horses showing speed in front of her for this. The drawback, however, is that she was running in a restricted maiden race and it’s a big jump from that optional-claiming level to face not only winners, but horses with stakes experience.
4. Crazy Hot Mess: She blew up the tote board in the slop at Ellis on debut, and trainer Peter Miller brought her straight into graded-stakes company after that start. That effort was flat; basically, she chased midfield and ran on while no threat to Holmby and runner-up Ruiva. Perhaps she makes better account if she can get a little closer to the pace, but Miller has underperformed in graded-stakes races in recent years, and she still has a long way to go to be fast enough to match the top contenders.
5. Free Closer: One of the more experienced horses in the field, she has three starts and two wins already. The drawback is that her only defeat came in open stakes company, but that came after a slow break, something she improved upon next out when thrashing Cal-breds next out. It’s a positive that she has been able to win from either a closing or stalking race shape, and that she has a win at Del Mar already. And, though she has yet to go past six furlongs, this daughter of Pavel is bred on both sides for more ground. It’s also appealing that trainer Michael McCarthy has turned a flat-bet profit with graded-stakes runners in the last three years – they’re rarely slammed at the windows (if they’re not named Journalism, anyway), and they always fit.
6. For the Win: Another one of the three-time starters, it took her two times to get off the mark, and she needed to go into auction-level company to do it. She then stepped up into stakes company, breaking a bit slow and chasing on to finish a well-beaten second in the Ellis Park Debutante. She was closer to the pace in her maiden win, though didn’t break the sharpest that day either, raising questions about how she’ll come away in the Debutante. She’ll also need to improve – none of her races have come back very fast, so even as the only horse in the field who has tried the current seven-furlong distance before, that bit of extra seasoning may not be enough.
7. Well Versed: She is the other maiden in the field – and the second-stringer for trainer Richard Mandella. She was no match for Miss Monica, the likely favorite in this race, on debut. She’ll have to move forward to turn the tables, or have the favorite regress, but that’s not completely impossible – after all, Fast Amy to the outside and Panda Listen to the inside both have a lot of speed, too. And, her pedigree is not only precocious but also appealing as the distances lengthen – she’s an Into Mischief daughter of Vequist, who graduated second-out in the seven-furlong Spinaway (G1) and also won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
8. Holmby: Perfect in two starts so far, this daughter of champion juvenile and first-crop sire Corniche battled on the pace before clearing off to win a five-furlong maiden special weight July 18 at Del Mar, and then showed a stalking gear when she won the Sorrento (G3) next out. The stalking gear is a good thing, since there are several speed horses in this field – including Miss Monica, her ballyhooed stablemate. She is obviously the second-stringer, given that jockey Juan Hernandez sticks with Miss Monica, but Ricardo Gonzalez has been solid with a few Baffert mounts he has gotten recently, and Holmby is the one who may get a better shot from a pace perspective.
9. Miss Monica: The likely favorite, Miss Monica broke her maiden in fast fashion, jumping to the lead and drawing away. That debut came in a 6 ½-furlong race, boding well for her ability to handle seven. She is obviously the Baffert “A,” with Juan Hernandez choosing to stick with her instead of Holmby. The question, worth asking at a short price, is how she will handle other speed? Fast Amy to the outside and Panda Listen to the inside have enough pace to go with her, and Miss Monica will have to prove she can fight – or prove she can go even faster and then stay seven furlongs. Even for Bob Baffert, that’s not a thrilling proposition at a short price.
10. Fast Amy: She has run twice: on debut she battled on the pace and emptied out, second out she battled and took over. The good news is, she can set a contested pace. The drawback is – it gets even harder this time, between the fact that she goes an extra furlong and that she’s going to face California speed like Miss Monica inside of her. She’s probably fast enough to go early and make a fight of it, and she does have the cleaner outside draw. It’s a question of how much she’ll have left late – but on the other hand, Brendan Walsh does well with last-out maiden winners, and she’ll at least be a price.

Del Mar Debutante: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the Del Mar Debutante:

1. Holmby (4-1)

Holmby is the second-string Bob Baffert, but as often as Bob Baffert wins big juvenile stakes races, these horses are all so lightly raced that it’s hard to tell who is the better one. But, what we can tell at this point is what the horses have done on the track. The top-string Baffert has only raced once, and she got things her own way on the lead. She ran a good-looking and fast effort, but no one knows yet what she’ll do with other pace. On the other hand, Holmby has already proven that she isn’t one-way speed. She was a speed demon on debut, but adapted to win the Sorrento in stalk-and-pounce fashion. It proved she didn’t need the lead, and it proved she could pass horses at Del Mar.

She stands to get another lively pace in front of her this time around. And, though she hasn’t gone past six furlongs yet, it’s logical to think she’ll stretch out to seven furlongs with aplomb. Her sire Corniche won two Grade 1 routes as a juvenile, and she is out of a Lemon Drop Kid mare with plenty of dirt distance in her family – the extra furlong shouldn’t be a problem, and she’ll probably end up being a two-turn horse, to boot.

2. Well Versed (12-1)

Well Versed ran a clear second to Miss Monica on debut, unable to reel her in and left just chasing her on for the place. However, that was a different race than this – that time Miss Monica had it easy up front and this time she will not. Well Versed should be able to track in close range of the battle and put herself in a good position to be a more significant late threat.

She’s not a horse to take at a short price, between the fact that she’s still a maiden and the fact that Richard Mandella takes enough time with his runners that even second-out they often have improvement to do. But, she already has a try going an extended one-turn trip. She gets a better pace setup this time, and as a daughter of champion juvenile filly Vequist, there’s enough precocity in her pedigree to suggest that she can figure it out more quickly than the usual stablemate of hers.

3. Miss Monica (8-5)

The top-stringer from the Bob Baffert barn, she won’t have it on easy street here without a few scratches. She showed speed from start to finish on debut – but now she has pace drawn on both sides of her, and she’ll have to prove that she is either even faster than she showed that she was on debut, or that she’s got a fighting gear.

That said, it’s not impossible to see her proving the best of the speed. And, unlike the other speed around her, she has proven she can carry her speed an extended one-turn trip since that debut win came at 6 ½ furlongs. That suggests she’ll be able to handle going seven, especially given how strongly she finished in her debut. Of course, the question is whether she’ll finish that well with company up front, but it was an impressive enough debut to countenance that possibility.

Del Mar Debutante Stakes FAQ

Q: When and where is the Del Mar Debutante Stakes?

A: The Del Mar Debutante happens Saturday, September 5, 2026, at 6:00 Pacific Standard Time, at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. It is the 10th of 11 races on the Saturday card, and one of a pair of graded stakes on tap.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Del Mar Debutante Stakes?

A: Bob Baffert has won the Del Mar Debutante 12 times between 1995 and 2025. He has two chances to extend that record in 2026: with Holmby and Miss Monica.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Del Mar Debutante Stakes?

A: Miss Monica, for trainer Bob Baffert, is the 8-5 morning-line favorite. She is likely to hold as the chalk in the race after her impressive debut, since the race came back fast and since Juan Hernandez opts to ride her and not her stakes-winning stablemate Holmby.

Q: Who is the best Del Mar Debutante Stakes jockey?

A: Gary Stevens, Bill Shoemaker, and Victor Espinoza lead with five wins each. None of them will return for the 2026 edition. Among jockeys entered in 2026, Mike Smith leads with four wins, most recently with Bottle of Rouge in 2025. He rides Dear Diary for Richard Mandella this year.

Q: Who won the Del Mar Debutante Stakes in 2025?

A: Bottle of Rouge won the 2025 Del Mar Debutante for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike Smith. Baffert entered Holmby, ridden by Ricardo Gonzalez, and Miss Monica, ridden by Juan Hernandez. Mike Smith takes the call on Dear Diary for trainer Richard Mandella.

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