DEL Handicap (Grade 2)- $750.000 Purse
DEL- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Quarter on the Dirt
July 13, 2019

Last month in the Fleur de Lis Handicap at CD, Charo went wire to wire to win, holding off Prima Dona in the end to do so. They would meet again here in the DEL Handicap for a purse that would be triple what they ran for last time. Charo would have to carry a little more weight this time, and would have to run two more furlongs. Perhaps that would be good for Prima Dona. Charo, however, is a horse that knows how to win, and I know it’s easy to be unimpressed by a lot of those wins coming in free track claiming races, but 12 of 16 is an excellent record, and that increases now to 13 of 17. Team 7 Illusions certainly did his homework picking up this horse on St Patrick’s Day in a $10.000 claimer, and it makes you wonder what else may be running there now. With Team 7 Illusions, Charo has been brought to the pay side and continues to win. It’s the fourth career DEL Handicap win for the trainer, who also won in 2017 with Way Up, while taking the first two runnings of the race in 2006 and 2007 as well. The winning rider is E Esquivel, and it’s first win in the race. Congratulations to them! The time of the victory was 2:01.09, a middle of the road time for the race overall. Let’s look at it!

(½ Mile- :47.98)- No one is particularly hurried out of the gate, but as they approach the finish line the first time, Mb Stables’ Harsh decides that it will be she who takes the early lead. Initially, she gets a challenge from Google Command, one of the three Team 7 Illusions entries in the field, but Google Command is directed to back off as they begin rounding the turn. This leaves Harsh all by herself out front, with a two and a half length lead. Google Command now runs second with our eventual winner, Charo, also out of Team 7 Illusions. Wisely, she is not looking to run this race exactly how she ran in the Fleur de Lis. Nude Beach (Joshua Stables) is running about a length back on their outside, and Prima Dona (Joshua Stables) runs right behind Charo here, determined not to let her get away. Ghost Road (Fractious) runs to her inside. Then, it’s a gap of three to our trailer, Foxy Dame (Team 7 Illusions).

(3/4 Mile- 1:11.80)- The trip down the backstretch continues to see Harsh pacing the field in what seems to be a reasonable fraction after six furlongs. Her lead is still two lengths as they move towards the turn, but at this point, we are starting to see Charo showing a lot more interest. She’s second now as Google Command loses a position on the rail, and Nude Beach is also looking pretty good here. Prima Dona still runs between horses, unable to make a move on Charo right now without running into her. Ghost Road lost a lot of ground on the backstretch, and now runs with Foxy Dame back there.

(Top Of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)– During the turn, Harsh seems to lose some of his early form, as not only does Charo close in, but the entire field cuts 1-2 lengths into their deficit. Charo doesn’t power by Harsh, but does so gracefully, like a horse that knows how to get to the winners circle after a race. Nude Beach is also running well here, and moving between both Charo and Harsh is Prima Dona, still looking to make up that length to her rival that she has had to do for the entire race up until this point. Google Command is trying to stay with the lead group, and does a fair job of it until we get to the stretch. Foxy Dame starts to look interested, though Ghost Road is a beaten horse.

(Finish- 2:01.09)- Early in the stretch, Charo completes the pass of Harsh for the lead, and when that happened, Harsh seemed to lose all interest in this race, and dropped out. Charo still had challengers though, with the Joshua Stables entries trying their best. However, Charo is a horse that has a lot of heart, and on this day, this horse that has won over 75% of her career races was going to get her signature win. This victory would earn her a fantastic share of a $750.000 purse, but it does even more then that. Charo, this former free track star that not many people were aware of, should now be a household name throughout the game. Prima Dona never made up that length, and finishes second to Charo again, something that maybe is not a bad thing, considering Charo’s exploits. Nude Beach is third while Harsh does enough to maintain the fourth position. Foxy Dame, Google Command, and Ghost Road round it out.

About The Winner- Charo, trained by Team 7 Illusions, and ridden to victory by E Esquivel, is a four year old filly by Charts (by Charley Farley), and is out of the late Blue Steel. She was bred in Arizona by Spinetingling as a yearling, and acquired by Team 7 Illusions for just $10.000 on St. Patrick’s Day. Someone found a four-leaf clover! Congratulations to the connections! The win is her 13th in 17 starts, and her second stake win. She is also 11 for 13 when going long. Her career earnings are boosted to $636.020.

Track: Fast
Time: :47⁴  1:11⁴  1:36   2:01

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 3 – 2 Paid 17.90
$1 Trifecta: 3 – 2 – 5 Paid 49.50

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES