Royal Delta Back to Defend

There are certain stakes races that have been knocking on the door of success, searching for the Grade 1 status they have deserved for many years now and finally one of those races returns to Grade 1 status for the first time since 1989. The Grade 1 Delaware Handicap celebrates its return to Grade 1 status with defending 2012 Delaware Handicap champ Royal Delta on Saturday. Despite the fact that Royal Delta enters off a sound 5 length defeat at the hands of Funny Proposition in the Fleur de Lis Handicap (Gr.2) after returning from a 10^th place finish in the Dubai World Cup (Gr.1), she will most likely go off as the post time favorite. Two consecutive losses will not discourage the vast majority of racing fans from placing their confidence in the impressive daughter of Empire Maker yet again. Her performance in the Fleur de Lis was most likely a factor of her not quite being 100% after her trip to Dubai, but I remain confident that Royal Delta has what it takes to be back at the top. There are several things that sway in her direction in the Delaware Handicap; the 1 ¼ mile distance practically screams her name, her three straight bullet works, including a fantastic :58.90 five furlong work showing that she is razor sharp and fit as a fiddle and the fact that she is the returning Delaware Handicap winner all stacks up in her favor.

 

Authenticity and Summer Applause appear to have the biggest chance to upset Royal Delta, on paper at least, but they are also both cross-entered in the Shuvee Handicap (Gr.3) at Saratoga on Saturday. Authenticity enters off a ½ length loss to Tiz Miss Sue in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps in late May after having defeated On Fire Baby in the La Troienne Stakes (Gr.2) by a head on Kentucky Oaks day. Both races were run at the 1 1/16 mile distance, a distance at which she romped by more than 17 lengths earlier in the year in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park. She finished a credible second in the 1 1/8 mile Grade 3 Rampart Stakes to Caio Bella, 4 ½ lengths behind the winner. She might not be best suited for the 1 ¼ mile distance, but she’s a talented filly who has proven extremely consistent, finishing in the top three in the last 7 of the 8 lifetime races. She might not even run in the Delaware Handicap if trainer Todd Pletcher decides to run her in the Shuvee Handicap.

 

Summer Applause enters off a 2 length win in the Allaire DuPont Distaff Stakes (Gr.3) at Pimlico, a race she captured after finishing 4^th in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Stakes to On Fire Baby. She has won two graded stakes races this year, including a 2 ¾ length win in the Top Flight Handicap, but she faded poorly in the Apple Blossom when faced with stronger competition such as On Fire Baby and Tiz Mis Sue. I don’t think she has the goods to defeat Royal Delta if her connections opt for the Delaware Handicap over the Shuvee.

 

She’s All In has run 5 times in 2013 without registering a win, but she did finish second in the Bayakoa Stakes at Oaklawn Park earlier in the year and most recently finished ¾ of a length behind Royal Delta in the Fleur de Lis Handicap (Gr.2) after finishing 6^th in the Apple Blossom Handicap (Gr.1), just a head in front of Grace Hall in dead last. Suffice it to say that she’ll need to run the race of her life to challenge for the top spot in the Delaware Handicap.

 

And Why Not is a daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Street Cry and has A.P. Indy as her grandsire on her Dam’s side so it seems almost a no-brainer that she’ll appreciate the 1 ¼ mile distance. On June 15^th she finished second by just a neck to Bryan’s Jewel in the Obeah Stakes (Gr.3) in her third start this year, but she has yet to win since breaking her maiden 13 races back in August of 2011.

 

Centring finished third in the Ogden Phipps Handicap (Gr.1) in her last start, less than two lengths behind winner Tiz Miss Sue and runner-up Authenticity. Before the Ogden Phipps Handicap she finished second to Disposablepleasure by 1 ¾ lengths in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park. She’s faced some nice fillies in her last two starts and run pretty well so there’s a good chance she could hit the board, especially if Authenticity or Summer Applause opt to run in the Shuvee Handicap.

 

If Authenticity and Summer Applause both run in the Delaware Handicap the field size will stand at only 6, small by any standard. Regardless of field size, Royal Delta deserves favoritism here and looks ready to visit the winners circle once again.