Previous to her debut, Princess Noor (Zedan Racing’s sale-topping purchase at OBS Spring) fired a couple of bullet breezes from the gate in her preparations for trainer Bob Baffert. In debut at Del Mar, Princess Noor ran to the hype and dominated the competition earning the title of “TDN Rising Star”. Using her natural speed, Princess Noor shot out of the gate to an easy lead, and zipped along through a :22.39 quarter and :46.05 half. Pilot Victor Espinoza never asked her to run as she cruised under the line with a 2 1/2-length advantage.

“We knew that she was a special horse from the sales all the way into training,” owner Amr Zedan told the TDN after watching the race from Saudi Arabia, where it was after midnight. “Obviously, Bob has done a great job in getting her ready. We came into the race humble, but focused and hoping she would show the best she could do and would come out of it sound. I would like to thank Gary Young, my racing manager, for all he’s done for us.”

When asked if there was any added pressure with the winner being named after his wife, Jordan’s Princess HRH Noor Bint Asem, Zedan said, “There was a lot of anxiety, but she did what we hoped and prayed she would do and she showed some ability. I don’t know yet what Bob’s plans are, as you know he’s the boss when it comes to everything with the horse at the moment. We will follow his lead and hope for the best. We will take it a race at a time and hopefully we will get to the big races soon.”