A memorable first stakes winner for Newgate Farm shuttler The Factor (War Front), which came at the elite level when the Bob Baffert-trained Noted And Quoted won a thrilling $300,000 Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita Park.
Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, Noted and Quoted staged a thrilling duel with the eventual runner-up With Honors to win by a half-length with Zapperkat three and three-quarter lengths back in third.
"I have to give Bob a lot of credit for this," Bejarano told The Blood-Horse.
"Baffert told me that he thought I might want to stay on Noted and Quoted because she was going to be prepared to run the mile and a sixteenth. And, he was right. American Cleopatra (who finished eighth) was right next to me but Stewart (Elliott, on American Cleopatra) didn't have enough horse and mine was the better horse today."
The Chandelier is a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" race to the Juvenile Fillies.
Noted and Quoted won a six-furlong race at Del Mar by 9 1/2 lengths before a fourth in the Del Mar Debutante Stakes on September 3.
"When they turned for home, I thought, 'That's a good filly (With Honors) that ran second.' I have a lot of respect for her," Baffert said. "(Noted and Quoted) is a very slight filly. I don't have to do a lot with her, but the fact that she's already proved she can go two turns—that's what we were trying to find out with her. I'm pretty proud of her
Noted and Quoted is out of stakes-winning City Zip mare Silver Cup and was a $375,000 purchase this year's Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. March sale of 2-year-olds in training.
The Factor is covering his third book of mares at Newgate Farm at a fee of $16,500
