Tenma Noses Out Vodka With a Twist in Del Mar Debutante

Charles and Susan Chu fare well in the Del Mar Debutante (G1) with the Uncle Mo sire line. Five years after winning the race with Bast, a daughter of Uncle Mo, the Chus got their second Debutante, this time with Tenma, a daughter of the Uncle Mo stallion Nyquist. Bob Baffert also plays a major role in the Chus' success. The Hall of Famer has trained for the couple since Susan first decided she wanted a racehorse and reached out to Baffert to train Super Ninety Nine in 2012. Winner of a record 10 Debutantes, Baffert was favored to get his 11th, although bettors expected him to do it with Nooni and made her the 4-5 favorite. Tenma went off as the 3-1 second choice in the seven-furlong race. Nooni had easy leads in both of her previous impressive outings—a 9 1/2-length maiden win at Santa Anita Park and a 1 1/2-length triumph in the Sorrento Stakes (G3) at Del Mar. This time, however, longshot Proud Starlet took the early lead, with Nooni having to duel with her on the front end. Tenma, ridden by Kazushi Kimura, raced fifth of seven down the backstretch, as Proud Starlet recorded the first quarter-mile in :21.50. Heading to the turn, Tenma moved up along the rail and got shuffled back a bit. But she willingly went around horses, ready to make her bid when asked. Nooni grabbed the lead after a half-mile, with a head in front of Proud Starlet when clocked in :44.38. Sorrento second Vodka With a Twist began to edge up on Nooni, who drifted out slightly. As Vodka With a Twist went past, Nooni appeared to react from the close quarters, turning her head to the inside. Tenma, meanwhile, was in full stride, bearing down on Vodka With a Twist, who at one point had a 1 1/2-length advantage. Those two battled deep in the stretch, coming to the wire together. Tenma gamely eked out a nose win over Vodka With a Twist, stopping the timer in 1:23.67. Those two had put plenty of distance between themselves and the rest of the field, with third-place So There She Was nine lengths behind them. "I rode her the other day when she won first time out and she did well closing. The plan was to try to do the same thing today," Kimura said. "I saw those two fillies up front working on each other and I was happy with my spot. She closed well for me. I think she's going to want to run farther." There was a stewards' inquiry regarding Vodka With a Twist and Nooni on the turn, but no change was made. The unanimous decision determined that, as Trevor Denman announced, "Nooni was getting out slightly, and no blame could be attached to No. 4, Vodka With a Twist." The Chus, who race in the name of Baoma, purchased Tenma under the Baoma banner for $850,000 from Wavertree Stables at this year's Ocala Breeders' Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. Tenma made her first start Aug. 18 at Del Mar, winning the 5 1/2-furlong maiden race by a neck. Baffert's assistant Jimmy Barnes said he wasn't expecting the race to set up the way it did, but he wasn't surprised Tenma ran so well. "A race sets up the way it sets up. If there's a lot of speed, there's a chance they're going to go quick and there's a chance the closers are going to come in, and basically that's what happened," Barnes said. "We were very confident going into the race. (Tenma) ran so well first time and she was doing very well. It was no surprise to me." B Flay Thoroughbreds bred Tenma in Kentucky from the unraced Tapit mare Amagansett. Bobby Flay Thoroughbreds had bought Amagansett as a yearling for $875,000. Tenma initially sold as a yearling in the Stone Farm consignment to the 2023 Keeneland September yearling sale for $200,000 to All Star Bloodstock. Amagansett has a colt by Munnings in the upcoming Keeneland September Yearling Sale consigned at Hip 1069 by Stone Farm as agent. Tenma, Immersive, Randomized, and Johannes are 2024 grade 1 winners sired by Nyquist, whose earlier stakes winners include 2020 champion 2-year-old female Vequist. The champion 2-year-old male of 2015 and winner of the 2016 Kentucky Derby (G1), Nyquist stood for a 2024 stud fee of $85,000 at Darley near Lexington.