Royal Delta (Grade 3)- $150.000 Purse
GP- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
February 14, 2026

Last year, Wavy Girl picked up the first win of her five year old season here in the Royal Delta, and it would be a successful season that saw her end up in the BC Distaff for the third straight year. She’ll be looking to repeat that performance, which is something that no other prior winner of the race has accomplished. When the race debuted in 2016, it was a Grade 2 and went for a $200.000 purse, but would be downgraded to the present Grade 3 level two years later. With one exception, the $150.000 offered has been constant since 2019. Ten horses stand in the way of Wavy Girl’s attempt to defend her title, and we’ll get to all of them first as our reigning champion breaks from the outside.

1- Viking Cat (Bigchief Stables, ridden by C J Lanerie)- Won just one of her first 16 races, though did a good job of hitting the board when in ungraded stakes during that stretch. Things have changed in her last two starts, however, as she has finally been able to taste victory. In November, she won the $100.000 Valene Memorial Stakes for LA-breds, and a month later did the same in the $100.000 Rosewater. Can she make it three in a row? When she has run in graded races in the past, she’s been at the back but maybe things can change while she’s hot.

2- Petroleum (The Sidley Stud, ridden by M J Husbands)- Began her career by running well in overnights at mid-level tracks, before she was sent to HST for a pair of ungraded stakes. Continued to run competitively there, and did come out on top in the Ballerina BC in October. That moved her to the graded ranks, where she would be second in the Grade 3 Maple Leaf Stakes at WO before struggling in the Grade 3 Comely a month later. She’s had two months of rest and will look to bounce back here.

3- Queen Kingdom (Aer Stables, ridden by J Alvarado)- Returns to the main track for the first time in over a year, and she has not been on the dirt at a track higher than FL. While on the turf, she would get three wins, which were highlighted by the $100.000 Harris Stakes at SA in late September. Following that, she would be mediocre in three graded tries, and has not been on the track since the Grade 3 Frankel Stakes at SA in December.

4- Barossa Valley (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by E J Zayas)- Ran in the BC Distaff three months ago, but only did better than two of her rivals. It was a disappointing ending to a year that saw three wins, highlighted by Grade 3 Belle Malone at WO in May, and overall consistent results. She would make a start last month in an open allowance at FG on the turf at a little under a mile and was second to another horse with considerable graded experience.

5- Soliloquy Sunset (Nakamura Stables, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- After running third in the BC Distaff, Soliloquy Sunset seemed like one of the top options in the HOU Ladies Classic last month. And why not? She won over $1,400.000 as a three year old, won the Alabama, and generally had been running very well in Grade 1’s. She didn’t have to win the HOU Ladies Classic, but her performance there was disappointing and the first time she finished out of the top four in her career. Therefore, that can be forgiven, but she needs a strong bounce back run here.

6- Memorabilia (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- Doesn’t have quite as much experience as the others in this field, and will be making her stake debut here in her tenth career start. She’s won twice, most recently at PRX in September, but her last two races do not excite me all that much. Her adds are scheduled to be different as of press time, so perhaps that can get her a better result.

7- Midnight Rumble (Riggins Racing, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Appeared in the KYO as a three year old in 2024, and would then run in the BC Distaff last year. However, she would be under the radar last year as a four year old, even though she still was consistently hitting the board in open allowances and ungraded stakes. After dropping to a low point as far as purse is concerned in September at LAD, she’s been running against better and will now make her first graded start in a little more than a year.

8- Gutter Black (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by J Bravo)- This is another horse that was able to run in the BC Distaff, but she would finish near the back of the pack. She would win three times in 2025, including the Grade 3 ONT Matron right before she went to CD for the BC, and hoped to bounce back from that last month. However, the race of choice was the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes, which is a turf sprint. That proved to not be her cup of tea and will be happy to be back on the main track. I have a positive gut feeling about her here.

9- Hot Cheddar (The Sidley Stud, ridden by J Rosario)- The WV-bred has done most of her recent racing in her home state in statebred stakes and has been able two of them. In October, she took home the $75.000 WV Breeders Cup Distaff against four others, two of which were stablemates. She’s never really been tested in the way that she will be here against unrestricted company, and it will be her graded debut. It’s an opportunity that she has certainly earned.

10- Peacestone (Hunterman Stable, ridden by Jo Ruiz)- It doesn’t matter if this Hagstone mare is on the turf or the dirt, she is consistently able to get at least some portion of the purse for her trainer. March 2024 was the last time she failed to place in the top four, and there are six wins since that point. The wins come in ungraded races, but she has hit the board several times at the graded level, too. Kicked off her season by running second in the Likely Exchange Stakes, but will now share the starting gate with the biggest names she has been up against.

11- Wavy Girl (Saratoga Stud, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Finally, we get to our headliner as the defending Royal Delta winner will start from the outside. Her win here in 2025 was one of two on the year for her, as she would also win the Azeri BC at OP a few weeks later. While that was her most recent win, she continued to be productive by running third in the Grade 1 La Troienne, and being consistent enough to get into the BC Distaff for the third year in a row. She was fifth in that race a few months ago, and most recently she was fourth in the Grade 3 La Canada Stakes where she also had to start from post 11. She’ll be in the mix, but making Royal Delta history will be a little tougher.

Prediction: 8-5-11-10

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES