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 15, 2025

The starting gate is full to capacity for Saturday’s running of the Grade 3 Royal Delta. This stake is for older females on the main track and will be run for the tenth time. At inception in 2016, this was a Grade 2 that ran for a $200.000 purse, so unfortunately the details have only gone backward in that regard. Last year saw Queen Evade Party get the win for Maxmillion Farm, and it would be the final win of her successful career. She has since been retired. However, the 2023 winner, Pink Attack, is active and looking to win this race for the second time. She’ll be the last one we get to as we look through the field. Here they are:

1- Sandrine (Onlineracingclub.com, ridden by Edg Perez)- While she occasionally ran in ungraded stakes for her prior trainer, she became a regular entrant in them after being claimed by Onlineracingclub.com in March of last year. Primarily been in NY-bred Stakes and has consistently managed a portion of the purse. In fact, you have to go all the way back to August 2022 for the only time in 19 starts where she was not in the top four. Only on graded race thus far and has earned the right to be running at this level, if not even more.

2- American Sky (Riggins Racing, ridden by E T Baird)- Acquired by Riggins in October for $200.000 just a few days after she was fifth in the Personal Ensign. She was BC eligible, so a month later, she ended up running third in the BC Distaff, so quite a terrific accomplishment. But is there trouble looming? She did run third in the Chilukki, but was dropped into an open allowance at TAM, and while you would think she would dust that competition, she was third and beaten by a length. Maybe the trainer was just testing something, and we can dismiss that. Regardless, she needs a bounce back here to erase any concern.

3- Oprah (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by M J Husbands)- This four-year-old filly was inconsistent for a while, but may finally be becoming a more reliable runner. Since July, she has been regularly hitting the board, with one win in five starts, but with a little more luck at the wire, it could be three wins. Most of those are ungraded races, including the $150.000 Ladies Handicap at AQU that she won last month. This is her graded debut.

4- Radio Ruffian (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- It’s difficult to throw a lot of support behind this one, given the string of races that began with the Honeybee last February, leading into her last start. Last month, things did change for her right here at GP, placing second in an optional claimer. The SRF wasn’t as high as I’d like to see out of that, but we know there can be other reasons for that. Still, other options are more appealing.

5- Ignore Tucker (Big Guns Stables, ridden by L Saez)- Not a horse that you want to ignore at all, and Big Guns Stables certainly did not when he put down $276.000 to pick her up in the December auction. She was well accomplished, and perhaps we talk about that being a bargain price down the road. Particularly strong in the late spring and early summer, highlighted by winning the Fleur de Lis Handicap at CD in June. Since running second in the Personal Ensign, she has not been as effective. You may remember her finishing third in the Royal Delta here last year.

6- Wavy Girl (Saratoga Stud, ridden by D Van Dyke)- We have a few horses in here that ran in the BC Distaff, and Wavy Girl was one of them, running fifth. That was not quite as good as she did in that race in 2023, where she was the runner up. Last year, she won twice in two starts, highlighted by the Grade 2 Shuvee in July at SAR. Certainly, a capable horse in this field, but races like the Personal Ensign and Spinster recently have me more interested in others.

7- Flint Off (Asgar, ridden by L Salles)- Since May, Flint Off has been in the money in every start, with three of the races being victories. Last time out, she finally got that stake win after several close calls in her past, coming in the $125.000 Likely Exchange Stakes at TP. Despite ample ungraded experience, she has never run in a graded race until right now, and she has certainly earned this chance to do so.

8- Foxy Envoy (Arindel, ridden by Jo Ruiz)- Last month, Arindel picked this five-year-old mare out of a $75.000 optional claiming race where she was up for the rag, and it will be interesting to see what Foxy Envoy does with her new trainer. She has been successful and knows how to win, doing so eleven times in 29 starts, with a couple of smaller ungraded stake wins along the way. She’s never been in a graded race, but she works very well, and Arindel will try to take her to the next level.

9- Jinxed Artist (South Beach Racing, ridden by E Jaramillo)- The trainer picked up a big win last month, being able to get her for $1.000 in the Smokey Stover sale. She’s raced entirely for Smokey up to this point, with ten wins in 24 starts and multiple graded wins. She’s also a former BC Distaff runner, doing so in 2023. Only made five starts in 2024, but did manage to win two of them, including her last race, the Grade 3 ONT Matron Stakes at WO. That came in September, and she has been idle since then, so it is good to see her back in action. Her last work could be a red flag, though perhaps there was some “rust” for her to clear out first.

10- Balius (Threshold, ridden by Hector Berrios)- Commonly been seen in this type of race, the Grade 3’s, though some have been for pretty big purses despite that designation. She is a winner of two of her last three, with a wire-to-wire win at ten furlongs out three months ago in the Grade 3 Maple Leaf Stakes at WO. She has had some time to rest and looks ready to go for her 2025 season, as evidenced by a work at WO just after New Year’s Day.

11- Flyingbolt (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by Ro Maragh)- This seven-year-old mare has done a lot of flying in her life, making 44 starts and winning eighteen of them. Despite that longevity, you can make the case that she has never been better than she is right now and could win a bunch more before she is done. She’s taken three of her last five, including the $150.000 Turnback The Alarm Handicap two back. Missed the headbob last race in the La Canada Stakes with some horse named Untidy that you may have heard of, so certainly nothing wrong there. Expect her to continue to remain hot here.

12- Pink Attack (The Sidley Stud, ridden by E J Zayas)- We conclude our run through the field with the 2023 winner of the Royal Delta, winning that race with a wire-to-wire effort. She did attempt the repeat here last year, but did not fare well in the race. This is a horse that when she’s on, she can be as good as anyone out there, though occasionally she will have the not necessarily poor, but certainly underwhelming race as a well-bet horse. Seems due for a win, as she last did so in April. Should not be ruled out, but I will look elsewhere.

Prediction: 11-7-6-1

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES