Saturday, September 29, 2012
ROYAL DELTA RULES IN BELDAME
By Jenny Kellner
ELMONT, N.Y. – Taking command on the turn and opening up through the stretch under a hand ride, odds-on favorite Royal Delta cruised to a dominating 9 ½-length triumph over It’s Tricky in the Grade 1, $400,000 Beldame Invitational on Saturday afternoon at Belmont Park.
The victory was the third in six starts this year for Royal Delta, who had already earned an automatic bid to the Breeders’ Cup on November 2 at Santa Anita Park, where she will defend her title in the Ladies’ Classic against an all-star lineup expected to include Awesome Feather, Questing and My Miss Aurelia.
Away from the gate alertly, the 4-year-old Royal Delta shadowed It’s Tricky through an opening quarter-mile in 24.09 seconds and a half in 46.70. Given her head on the turn, the Empire Maker filly quickly drew abreast of the front-runner and spun into the lane with a sizeable advantage that steadily widened to the wire.
“You basically saw what it really was,” said her winning jockey, Hall of Famer Mike Smith. “It was extremely impressive.”
Royal Delta’s winning time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:48.80.
The Beldame marked the fifth meeting between Royal Delta and It’s Tricky, with Royal Delta winning three races and It’s Tricky one.
“Congratulations to the winner,” said Kiaran McLaughlin, trainer of It’s Tricky. “We were second-best. She was very impressive. We thought that Alan Garcia [on Cash for Clunkers] would be on the lead, but it just didn’t work out that way. It was a match race all the way and we finished second-best today.”
Owned by Besilu Stables, which purchased her for $8.5 million last November, Royal Delta came into the Beldame off a second-place finish as the favorite in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga Race Course. The dark bay filly, runner-up in last year’s Beldame to eventual Horse of the Year Havre de Grace, opened her 2012 campaign with a second in the Grade 3 Sabin at Gulfstream Park, then was ninth in the Dubai World Cup before victories in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis and the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap.
“It’s nice to win the race and turn it around a little bit,” said her Hall of Fame trainer, Bill Mott. “I’m glad for Royal Delta; she got beat last time, came back, and avenged that loss today. She ran a super race – broke well, took it to the horse on the lead and she was much the best today. Just a very impressive performance.”
The 4-5 favorite, Royal Delta returned $3.70 for a $2 win bet and earned $240,000, increasing her bankroll to $2,623,851. Overall, she has won eight of her 14 lifetime starts, with three seconds and one third-place finish.
Go Unbridled finished third, 1 ¼ lengths behind It’s Tricky, with Maristar and Cash for Clunkers completing the order of finish. Acting Happy and Disposablepleasure were scratched.
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