Add another impressive filly into the mix for the Ladies' Classic this year. Royal Delta rolled past It's Tricky and Plum Pretty at the top of the stretch in the Alabama to easily win by over five length at the wire.
Royal Delta was well beaten by It's Tricky and Plum Pretty in the Coaching Club American Oaks just under a month ago, but she has shown flashes of brilliance in her career. She dealt with some foot problems earlier this year and today's effort puts her back into the top echelon of this year's crop of three-year-old fillies.
Canadian shipper Inglorious received a lot of money from the crowd but ran her third sub-par race on dirt in three tries. She appears better suited for synthetic surfaces at this point in her career. Why she was pounded down on the board like she was, I have no idea. It's one thing to believe that surface is irrelevant (which I think is foolish), but it's another to bet a horse down to ridiculous levels when she's already shown that she's better on synthetics than dirt. Taking a stab if she's at decent odds of like 6/1 or higher? Sure, that I can get behind. Play her at 2/1 or 5/2? No, thank you.
Steven Crist at the DRF aptly summed up the betting in the Alabama:
Inglorious is 5 for 5 on Polytrack in Canada and now 0 for 3 in the U.S. and on dirt. Why she was nearly favored to win this race may remain a mystery for the ages.
A mystery, indeed.
Video Replay (via NYRA YouTube)
Payouts:
1-Royal Delta: $13.00, $6.40, $4.50
4-It's Tricky: $3.90, $3.30
2-Pinch Pie: $5.20
$2 Exacta (1-4): $40.40
$2 Trifecta (1-4-2): $408.50
$2 Pick 3 (10-5-1): $356.50
$2 Daily Double (5-1): $37.40
Fractions:
1/4: 24.54
1/2: 49.31
3/4: 1:13.12
Mile: 1:37.05
Finish: 2:03.13
Internal Spits:
1/4: 24.54
1/2: 24.77
3/4: 23.81
Mile: 23.93
Finish: 26.08
Full Chart (via Equibase)
Taking a step back and looking at the distaff division the only thought that keeps popping up in my head is "it just keeps getting better". A quick look at the top females in racing this year, both three-year-olds and older fillies and mares:
Blind Luck
Havre de Grace
It's Tricky
Royal Delta
Plum Pretty
R Heat Lightning (working her way back from injury)
St. John's River
Switch
Zazu
And while that list is very impressive, there is still time for some of the fillies and mares on the fringe to get into the act before the Breeders' Cup.