Favored Royal Delta took advantage of a lackluster performance from the speedy Questing to earn a repeat victory in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (gr. I) this afternoon at Santa Anita, going to the lead and never looking back en route to a 1 1/2 length victory.
Ridden to victory by Mike Smith, Royal Delta broke well and flashed speed from the start, racing away to grab a half-length advantage over Love and Pride after an opening quarter mile in :22.69 seconds. Include Me Out, My Miss Aurelia, and Awesome Feather were also close to the pace, followed by Class Included and Grace Hall. Questing was the trailer after breaking poorly and failing to get involved. She was soon eased, although it appeared after the race as though she had no injuries.
So with the expected leader failing to showcase her typical speed, this left Royal Delta on the front end -- quite a change for the four-year-old filly, who usually runs from off-the-pace. But the change in tactics clearly didn't faze her, as she continued to lead the way through blazing fractions of :45.81 and 1:09.80.
Rounding the far turn, Include Me Out made a menacing bid to challenge Royal Delta for the lead, and appeared capable of taking command of the race. My Miss Aurelia was also in with a shot along the inside. But during the final three-sixteenths of a mile, Royal Delta dug deep and found more, turning back their bids to win the nine-furlong race in the good time of 1:48.80 seconds.
My Miss Aurelia stayed on willingly to finish second, 1 1/4 lengths in front of Include Me Out. Grace Hall turned in a belatedly rally to secure fourth over Love and Pride, while Awesome Feather, Class Included, and Questing completed the order of finish.
The winner is trained by Bill Mott and owned by Besilu Stables. A daughter of Empire Maker out of the A.P. Indy mare Delta Princess, she is expected to remain in training as a five-year-old, with the Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) in March being her first goal.
-Keelerman
No comments:
Post a Comment