Royal Delta's lone foal in training, 'seems to be perfect'

In February of 2017, when champion Royal Delta died from foaling complications at Coolmore in Ireland, her Galileo filly survived. Two years later, that 2-year-old now named Delta's Royalty is in training overseas with high goals by connections.

Reporting for the Racing Post, Michelle McDonald spoke with Benjamin Leon of Besilu Stables about the Roger Varian trainee. Leon said he has hopes of Royal Ascot and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with the filly, who's based in Newmarket, England, and "appears to have all the tools necessary in order to honor her mother as a racehorse."

“She will never be sold,” he told the Racing Post. “She is the most important thoroughbred that I have because of what she represents to me from Royal Delta.

“Her physics and beauty, and her size and strength – she seems to be perfect in everything. And according to what Roger Varian has told me, she’s very smart and has not had any kind of issue whatsoever."

Leon purchased Royal Delta for $8.5 million at the 2011 Keeneland November Sale amid a career in which she was crowned Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and received Champion Older Mare honors the following two years. She was also a two-time winner of the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic in 2011-2012.

Though Royal Delta was an American champion on the dirt, turf is still in her family. Her dam, Delta Princess, by A.P. Indy, was a multiple graded stakes winner on grass and produced Delta Prince, who won the King Edward Stakes (G2) over Woodbine’s turf last June. He most recently ran third in last Saturday's Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

Galileo, one of the world’s top-producing stallions, stands at Coolmore in Ireland. 

“I’m breeding turf horses in Europe to run in Europe,” Leon said, “and the ones who earn the right to run in the Breeders’ Cup, will come here [to the U.S.] and do that.”