My Girl Red Leads Throughout Sorrento at Del Mar

Although Texas Red retired years ago, the 2014 Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner is still delivering for trainer Keith Desormeaux and owner Eric Brehm, but now, he's doing it as a sire. My Girl Red, a 2-year-old filly by the stallion, pushed her record to 2-for-2 for Desormeaux and Brehm Aug. 7 by winning the $150,500 Sorrento Stakes (G2) at Del Mar by 4 3/4 lengths. The frontrunning score was the first stakes victory for the filly and her sire. It came comfortably. Facing a small, unaccomplished cast for a graded stakes race, she dashed to the lead with an opening quarter-mile in :22.17. She then began to put some distance on the field on the turn with a half-mile in :45.88, and after some left-handed reminders from jockey Flavien Prat in midstretch pulled well ahead of runner-up Get On the Bus, a first-time starter. The winner crossed the finish with her ears pricked. Owned and bred by Brehm, who raced Texas Red in partnership with Wayne Detmar, Lee Michaels, Desormeaux, and Gene Voss, My Girl Red completed six furlongs in 1:12.12, the slowest of eight runnings of the Sorrento at six furlongs. The race was run at 6 1/2 furlongs for much of this century before being reduced by a sixteenth in 2018. "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," Desormeaux said. "She has always shown signs of class, and it’s nice to see one duplicate in the afternoon what we see in the mornings." The Sorrento serves as a regular steppingstone for the Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1), a $250,000 race at seven furlongs Sept. 6. Her trainer said she would run there next. Prat won his second Sorrento after taking the race in 2018 aboard the Simon Callaghan-trained Bellafina, who later added the Debutante. "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.” My Girl Red returned $3.80 as the favorite in the field of six that included a pair of maiden claiming winners and last-out maiden special weight winners from Arlington Park and Belterra Park. Exchange Vows rallied to be third, five lengths behind the runner-up, and was followed by Scat's Choice in fourth. Pace-chasing September Secret and Scaterra weakened to fifth and sixth, respectively. Kentucky-bred My Girl Red failed to meet her reserve last year as part of the Abbie Road Farm consignment at the Ocala Breeders' Sales October Yearling Sale when bidding halted at $70,000. She is the fourth black-type runner out of the Fusaichi Pegasus mare Morakami, who also produced 3-year-old Gold Street (by Street Boss), who took the Sugar Bowl Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in 2019 and the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park this year. Texas Red, an 8-year-old son of Afleet Alex and a first-crop stallion, won the 2015 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) at 3 over Frosted at Saratoga Race Course. He never raced after a fifth-place finish in the Travers Stakes (G1) that year and now stands at Crestwood Farm in Kentucky for $10,000.