All jockeys and valets are required to test for COVID-19 at Los Alamitos.

Smith was listed to ride morning-line favorite Astute for trainer Richard Mandella in the G1 Starlet Stakes on Saturday, but will now be replaced by jockey Flavien Prat.

Hall of Fame Jockey Mike Smith has tested positive for Covid-19 & as a result will not be on his mounts this weekend @LosAlRacing. @BritneyEurton spoke with @mikeesmith10 who shared he is in good spirits. All of us at @TVG send Mike well wishes as he recovers! pic.twitter.com/fjjq7acF19

— TVG (@TVG) December 4, 2020

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Princess Noor (Not This Time) hopes to return to winning ways as she sheds the blinkers here after finishing fifth as the favorite in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland last out Nov. 6. A debut winner at Del Mar in August, the $1.35-million OBSAPR topper captured both the Sept. 6 GI Del Mar Debutante and Sept. 26 GII Chandelier S. by a combined 14 3/4 lengths.

Her trainer Bob Baffert also saddles Varda (Distorted Humor) and Kalypso (Brody’s Cause). Varda finished second in the Chandelier after a first-out score at Del Mar Aug. 30. Kalypso earned her diploma in the Anoakia S. Oct. 18 after hitting the board in her first two outings.

Completing the quintet is Nasreddine (Nyquist), who graduated at second asking in SoCal Nov. 7.

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Owned by LNJ Foxwoods, Astute, a daughter of Speightstown and the Langfuhr mare Discerning, went gate-to-wire in her Oct. 12 debut on turf, then moved to dirt and stretched out an extra eighth of a mile to win the 6 1/2 furlong Desi Arnaz Stakes by 7 1/2 lengths Nov. 14 at Del Mar. Hall of Famer Mike Smith, who won the 2015 Starlet with Street Fancy, retains the mount on Astute, who has banked $93,000.

Seeking his fourth consecutive victory in the Starlet, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert entered a trio – Princess Noor, Kalypso and Varda. Baffert's three Starlet wins in succession – all in tandem with jockey Drayden Van Dyke, who will ride Varda Saturday – have been provided by Dream Tree (2017), Chasing Yesterday (2018) and Bast (2019).

A $1.35 million purchase at the OBS sale in April by Zedan Racing Stables Inc., Princess Noor suffered her first loss in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 6 at Keeneland after beginning her career with three easy wins in California. A Not This Time filly out of the Wilko mare Sheza Smoke Show, Princess Noor broke her maiden Aug. 22 at Del Mar, then won back-to-back graded races in a span of 20 days, taking the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante Sept. 6 and the Grade 2 Chandelier Sept. 26 at Santa Anita.The 19-10 favorite in the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies, Princess Noor wound up fifth, beaten a bit more than four lengths by Vequist. She's earned $363,000.

Owned by Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen, Kalypso, a daughter of Brody's Cause and the Malibu Moon mare Malibu Cove has one win in three tries and has banked $64,100. The $240,000 yearling purchase earned her victory in a stakes, leading throughout in the Anoakia Oct. 18. The Starlet will be her first venture beyond six furlongs.

A Distorted Humor filly out of the Sky Mesa mare She'll Be Right owned by Baoma Corporation, Varda has been away since finishing a distant second in the Chandelier. She graduated first time out by 3 1/4 lengths Aug. 30 at Del Mar and has banked $73,000 in her two races.

Completing the field is Nasreddine, a $10,000 supplement by owners Andrew and Rania Warren. Trained by Michael McCarthy, the daughter of Nyquist and the Sky Mesa mare Appreciating, Nasreddine has a win in two starts and earnings of $45,200. The $360,000 yearling purchase scored a 7-1 upset over maidens at six furlongs Nov. 7.

From inside out, the field for the Starlet: Kalypso, Abel Cedillo rides, 120 pounds; Nasreddine, Tiago Pereira, 120; Princess Noor, Victor Espinoza, 120; Astute, Mike Smith, 120 and Varda, Drayden Van Dyke, 120.

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Taking her cues from a pair of Hall of Famers — trainer Richard Mandella and rider Mike Smith – Astute went head-and-head with the odds-on favorite Private Mission through splits of  :22.21 and :45.30 for the first half mile of the 6 1/2-furlong dash, shook that one off turning for home, then drew out to a sparkling 7 1/2-length tally in a final time of 1:17.28.

Finishing second was Saragol Stable Corp and Johana Viana's Queengol, a nose in front of Watson, Pegram and Weitman's Heels Up.

Astute was making only the second start of her career and her first in a stakes. She had won a straight maiden race on grass at Santa Anita last month in her debut.

“Wow, That's what I've got to say,” said Smith. “I knew she was good; I just didn't know she was this good. She was good on the grass the other day (winning a straight maiden race at 5 1/2 furlongs), but she's even better on the dirt.”

“The owners and the manager — Alex Solis Jr. — told me before I ever saw her that she's special and it's kind of held true,” said Mandella. “She got a little sick on me in the summer and I had to give her a month off, so that's why she's a little late (starting her career). I only put her in the maiden turf (debut win on October 12 at Santa Anita) because I knew she could do turf and I was afraid a dirt race the next day wouldn't fill. I expected she'd run well today, but maybe not this well. We'll think about the Starlet.”

The Grade 1 Starlet over 1 1/16-miles at Los Alamitos will be run Dec. 5.

Astute paid $12.20, $5.40 and $5.20.  Queengol returned $5.60 and $4.20, while Heels Up paid $6.00 for the show.

LNJ Foxwoods is the nom du course of Larry, Nanci and Jaime Roth of Great Neck, N.Y. Mandella also trains the top grass horse United for the outfit.

Leading rider Abel Cedillo added a pair of winners to his totals after seven days of racing and now shows 12 firsts. Trainer Mandella won another race on the card and now has five firsts for the meet, second in the conditioner's standings to Peter Miller's six.

Racing resumes at Del Mar tomorrow starting at 12:30 p.m. with a nine-race card.

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Just like in her maiden, Astute went to the front, but this time she got headed by Private Mission (Into Mischief) to her inside after a :22.21 quarter and the foe had a head on her as the battle unfolded through the half in :45.30. Astute won the war, shaking clear with ease coming off the turn and simply drawing away, taking command with authority to win by 7 1/2 lengths.

“The owners and the manager–Alex Solis, Jr.–told me before I ever saw her that she’s special and it’s kind of held true,” said Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella. “She got a little sick on me in the summer and I had to give her a month off, so that’s why she’s a little late [starting her career]. I only put her in the maiden turf [debut win] because I knew she could do turf and I was afraid a dirt race the next day wouldn’t fill. I expected she’d run well today, but maybe not this well. We’ll think about the [GI] Starlet [S., Dec. 5 at Los Alamitos].”

Astute is the second black-type winner for her dam following 2015 GII Inside Information S. and 2014 GIII Go For Wand H. victress Classic Point. Discerning died in 2019, as did her Flatter foal that year. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Saturday, Del Mar
DESI ARNAZ S., $100,500, Del Mar, 11-14, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:17.28, ft.
1–ASTUTE, 120, f, 2, by Speightstown
               1st Dam: Discerning, by Langfuhr
               2nd Dam: Clandestinely, by Forty Niner
               3rd Dam: Personal Business, by Private Account
($425,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-LNJ
Foxwoods; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella;
J-Mike E. Smith. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $93,000.
*1/2 to Classic Point (Flatter), MGSW, $685,794.
2–Queengol, 120, f, 2, Flashback–Nechez Dawn, by Indian
Charlie. ($22,000 Wlg ’18 KEENOV; $90,000 2yo ’20 OBSMAR).
O-Saragol Stable Corp. & Johana Viana; B-John R. Penn (KY);
T-John W. Sadler. $20,000.
3–Heels Up, 120, f, 2, Twirling Candy–Tale Untold, by Tale of
the Cat. ($17,000 RNA Wlg ’18 KEENOV; $65,000 Ylg ’19
KEESEP; $350,000 2yo ’20 OBSAPR). O-Karl Watson, Michael E.
Pegram, & Paul Weitman; B-Two Stamps Stables (KY); T-Bob
Baffert. $12,000.
Margins: 7HF, NO, HF. Odds: 5.10, 5.70, 10.40.
Also Ran: Private Mission, Canoodling, Miss Costa Rica. Scratched: Plum Sexy, Varda.

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Since then the Chus, who originally hail from Taiwan and who race under the name Baoma Corporation, have gone in with both feet and by all reports are loving it. They now run their own breeding operation and have had fine success with that, too. But they also continue to buy and race horses, like a filly named Private Mission who'll carry their colors Saturday in the featured Desi Arnaz Stakes at Del Mar near San Diego, Calif.

Private Mission was a $750,000 yearling purchase in 2019 who got off on the right foot with a win in her initial start at Santa Anita on October 12 for trainer Bob Baffert. That was a 6 1/2-furlong straight maiden test with Drayden Van Dyke up. For the Arnaz, the daughter of Into Mischief  has been made the 9-5 morning line favorite and will have Van Dyke in the boot once again.

The Chus have entered another well-bred and high-priced ($700,000) runner in the Desi Arnaz – Varda, a first-out winner who then was stakes-placed behind star Princess Noor at Santa Anita most recently in the Chandelier Stakes on September 26. She, too, runs out of the Bob Baffert barn and the daughter of Distorted Humor will go postward at 6-1 in the morning line with Abel Cedillo riding.

The pair of bay fillies will take on six rivals in the sixth edition of the stakes, named for the band leader, actor and huge racing fan-owner-breeder who most famously teamed with his wife, Lucille Ball, to give us one of early television's most popular shows – “I Love Lucy.”

Here's the full field for the extended dash from the rail out with riders and odds:

C T R Stables and Wonderland Racing's Plum Sexy (Heriberto Figuero, 12-1); Private Mission; B-4 Farms' Canoodling (Umberto Rispoli, 12-1); Varda; Saragol Stable Corp or Viana's Queengol (Juan Hernandez, 4-1); McClanahan, Carrol Boys Racing or Say's Miss Costa Rica (Flavien Prat, 10-1), LNJ Foxwoods' Astute (Mike Smith, 3-1), and Pegram, Watson and Weitman's Heels Up (Victor Espinoza, 8-1).

Astute, a $425,000 yearling by Speightstown, scored in her debut on October 12, a sprint on the grass against straight maidens at Santa Anita. She's conditioned by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella and has Hall of Famer Smith as her partner again.

Saturday's nine-race card is off and running at 12:30 p.m. Pacific. The Arnaz goes as the 8th race on the program with an approximate off time of 4 p.m.

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