The Royal Delta (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
GP- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
February 13, 2016

There were six horses in the inaugural running of the Royal Delta, but it may have seemed like it was only a three horse race.   Three horses pulled away at the start, and it would be those three deciding the race at the very end.  Hydro, a winner of $792.000 during 2015 for her trainer Team 7 Illusions, and the 6th place runner in the BC Distaff was up for the challenge.  This talented filly was the leader of that early threesome, and was in control of the race throughout.  Late in the race though, Ocala Express and  Well In Line wanted to swipe the victory away from her, but the runner up in last year’s Grade 1 Acorn has seen good challengers before and was up for the task, prevailing in a time of 1:42.22.  As this was the first running of the stake, there is no past history to compare these results too.   Here’s a further look at the result:

1st- 4- Hydro (8/5)- Our eventual race winner from Team 7 Illusions wasted no time getting out to the lead.  Once clearing Ocala Express and Well in Line as they moved into the turn for the first time, she would open up by about a length as they moved to the top of the backstretch, setting the opening quarter in :24.11.  She would not be tested all that much during this backstretch trip, but she did make it quick on the rest of the field, turning up the pace in a :47.67 opening half.  J J Castellano kept her moving along a brisk but smooth stride, and as Ocala Express began to inch closer and closer in an effort to swipe the win away, Castellano asked Hydro for just a little bit more.  This filly would then show the ability and heart that earned her a spot in the BC Distaff over the course of the stretch.  Ocala Express was coming, and was relentless in her drive to make the pass but Hydro would simply refuse to let her by, answering the challenge in a very impressive way to get the win!  Hydro is a four year old filly by Charley Farley and out of Beautiful Era, who herself comes out of the Jolly Be Great bloodline.  She was bred in Califronia by Team 7 Illusions as a second quarter two year old, and this is the only trainer she has ever had!  Congratulations to the connections!

2nd- 3- Ocala Express (11/1)- The D J C Racing Stables entry looked good early, showing some fight to take the early before being content to stalk Hydro in the beginning furlongs. She would not put a move on Hydro during the backstretch, but she did enough to make sure that the leader would know that she was still there, lurking in her shadow.  Ran well in the turn, and at the top of the backstretch, she was in an all out drive, responding to the urging of her jockey, E Trujillo. She did everything right in the stretch, Hydro was just not going to be denied on this day.

3rd- 5- Well In Line (5/1)- Started well out of the gate for trainer Mb Stables, showing an initial push to want to take the lead early before backing off a little bit to sit a length or two off the lead. Seemed to lose a bit of ground over the backstretch to the top two, and who knows if this subtle length lost at this time would have made the difference in her ability to catch Hydro later on.  She became resurgent in the turn, and J Rosario opted to swing her wide of the top two. Hindsight being 20-20, some nice room did open up along the rail.  In the stretch, she did a fantastic job, the two ahead of her were just a little better and perhaps a little more fortunate, on this day.

4th- 6- Devil Wears Prada (112/1)- There was not a lot of faith in the multiple graded stake winner out of Maverick Racing, and she would be well off the pace herself early on.  Did not make any kind of advance in the backstretch.  Remained along the rail in the stretch without making any kind of advance.

5th- 2- Shes A Dog (5/2)- The Wolfs Den filly had no interest in running early, and went promptly too the back and was a full eight lengths out by the top of the backstretch, and she would show nothing during this portion of the race, or at any point thereafter.

6th- 1- Aguichant (5/2)- She was only marginally better then Shes A Dog in the early going for Maxmillion Farm, being 5th of 6 and six lengths out herself. Did nothing at any point in this race, and lost even more ground in the stretch.

Track: Fast
Time: :24   :47³  1:11¹  1:42¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 4 – 3 Paid 37.40
$1 Trifecta: 4 – 3 – 5 Paid 159.00

Scratched: None

Winner and Exacta picked by NS

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES