Holmby © Benoit Photo

Led by a local ace and a serious shipper, the 58th edition of the Sorrento Stakes Sunday at Del Mar has proven a lure for six 2-year-old fillies with stars in their eyes and fast feet beneath them. They’ll battle over six furlongs for a $150,000 prize and Grade III black type in a race that is considered the key prep for Del Mar’s champion 2-year-old filly test – the Grade I Del Mar Debutante scheduled for Saturday, September 5.

The local ace, but of course, is trained by Bob Baffert, the California king of young equines on the rise. The chestnut filly Holmby is by Corniche, a 2-year-old champion Baffert trained. She is owned by By Talia Racing and won her debut at Del Mar on July 18 by better than two lengths. She was handled that day by top rider Juan Hernandez and he’ll be back again for her Sorrento try.

The chief threat to Holmby is the eastern-based daughter of Munnings named Ruiva, who is trained by the east coast 2-year-old guru Wesley Ward. The chestnut captured her debut at Churchill Downs on April 29 on a sloppy track, then was shipped to England for a go at European stakes competition. She did fairly well in that effort at Ascot, finishing third beaten two lengths on the turf in the Group II Queen Mary Stakes.

Interestingly, rider Hernandez handled Ruiva in both of her starts, but has chosen to go back to his local connection in Holmby Sunday. Trainer Ward has brought in instead a young Panamanian named Yedsit Hazlewood, who’ll be making his Del Mar debut in the stakes.

The Sorrento goes as Race 6 on the nine-race program with a likely post time of 4:30 p.m.  First post on the afternoon is the usual 2 p.m.