In an epic stretch duel that was nearly as thrilling as the Blind Luck/Havre de Grace match of 2011, heavily favored Royal Delta held off a determined bid from Tiz Miz Sue to win the $750,000 Delaware Handicap (gr. II) by a neck.
Ridden to victory by Mike Smith, Royal Delta got off to a clean start along the rail and settled into the second position early on, about five lengths off of a blazing early pace set by Love and Pride. Cash for Clunkers, Awesome Maria, and Tiz Miz Sue were within a few lengths of Royal Delta, while Daring Reality and Pachattack were racing another ten lengths behind that group.
The opening fractions were stellar, with Love and Pride showing the way through an opening quarter in :22 4/5, a half-mile in :45 3/5, and three-quarters in 1:09 4/5. During this time, Royal Delta, Tiz Miz Sue, and Awesome Maria had been slowly inching up into contention, and as the field made their way around the far turn, they all rallied past the leader with bold runs. However, Awesome Maria soon found nothing left in the tank, leaving Royal Delta and Tiz Miz Sue to settle the race between them. Throughout the length of the stretch, little more than a half-length separated the two fillies, and while it appeared as though Tiz Miz Sue was moving strongest, Royal Delta dug in gamely along the inside to secure a narrow victory.
The final time for ten furlongs was 2:03 2/5. Awesome Maria finished third, while Love and Pride, Daring Reality, Pachattack, and Cash for Clunkers completed the order of finish.
-Keelerman
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