Standout Juvenile Princess Noor Retired After Suffering Leg Injury

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One day after she was pulled up in the Starlet Stakes, standout 2-year-old filly Princess Noor was retired with a soft-tissue injury.

Princess Noor-Retired
Princess Noor won two graded stakes races in her short career, including the Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita Park. That career ended Saturday after the juvenile filly suffered an injury. (Image: Benoit Photo

Zedan Racing, Princess Noor’s owner, broke the news about the $1.35 million purchase in a statement issued Sunday morning.

“She’s a star and a very talented filly,” Zedan Racing owner Amr Zedan said in that statement. “She had the race and most probably a few more G(rade) 1s to her name. Our focus now is to get her healthy and off to Kentucky to be the best mom she can ever be. It hurts, but thank God she’s well and retirement is the best decision.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9G4pes_DiE

Princess Noor, the odds-on favorite for Saturday’s Grade 1 Starlet at Los Alamitos, suffered the injury somewhere at the top of the stretch. She was leading the five-horse race of juvenile fillies at the time when jockey Victor Espinoza pulled her up.

Princess Noor’s X-Rays Show No Fracture

After the race, Princess Noor went in for X-rays. Trainer Bob Baffert said those showed no fractures.

“It’s soft tissue. I don’t know if she hit herself,” Baffert told Los Alamitos after the race. “She’ll be fine. She didn’t break anything.”

Princess Noor retires with $363,500 in career earnings, produced by three victories in five races. She won her first three races – two of those graded stakes – by more than 17 lengths combined. After breaking her maiden at Del Mar, Princess Noor won the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante by more than six lengths. She followed that by beating stablemate Varda by more than eight lengths in the Grade 2 Chandelier.

Varda Seizes the Moment, Pays $37.80 to Win

Princess Noor finally lost in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, finishing fifth as the odds-on favorite.

Speaking of Varda, she picked up the pieces in the Starlet, blowing past Kalypso to win by 1-½ lengths. That gave Varda 10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, and Baffert and jockey Drayden Van Dyke their fourth consecutive Starlet. It also rewarded Varda’s bettors, paying $37.80 on a $2 win ticket.

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