Del Mar's Two-Year-Olds Start Writing the Breeders' Cup Story Early

Miss Monica took the Grade I Del Mar Debutante this past week, giving her the earliest claim among fillies to a start in the Breeders' Cup World Championships. A few days on, colt U.S.S. Valor earned the Rising Star designation, the mark reserved for first-time winners whose form draws immediate attention across the sport. Both are now considered plausible runners for the "Win and You're In" prep races that carry automatic berths into the Championships this fall. It is only the first shape of the two-year-old season, but exactly the kind of form that gets tracked closely as the picture fills in.

With reporting from Thoroughbred Daily News.