BackTrack: Royal Delta Outdoes Herself in Del 'Cap

The entire cast of the Royal Delta show was back at Delaware Park for an encore performance in the $750,000 Delaware Handicap (G1) July 20, but this time Besilu Stables' champion mare even upstaged herself.

In 2012 Royal Delta captured the 1 1/4 miles Del 'Cap by a neck under Mike Smith after struggling with the surface, overcoming traffic trouble, and launching a sustained drive from just off the pace, in 2:03.51.

This year Royal Delta delivered an outstanding soliloquy. Smith gunned her to the front, and she opened up a big lead on her four rivals, never seriously challenged at any point during the race. She then ran up the score down the stretch, coasting under the wire nearly 11 lengths in front in 2:02.04 over runner-up She's All In and third-place finisher And Why Not. It was the largest margin of victory in the prestigious event for fillies and mares, eclipsing Quill's 1960 margin of nine lengths.

As is the norm for late July in Delaware, the weather was hot and steamy. Royal Delta was not racing with Salix (Lasix), as she had in every one of her other races except for two starts in the 2012-13 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1). The connotation after her name in the Delaware Park program - "LX" - was a foreign one to most observers, and many questioned why she had been taken off the bleeder medication.

"She doesn't need it," simply stated her owner, a beaming Ben Leon Jr., in the Delaware winner's circle, after the dark bay or brown mare had been unsaddled and quickly hosed down by trainer Bill Mott.

Mott further explained the decision, stating that the 5-year-old daughter of Empire Maker "had a small reaction" to Lasix after her second-place finish in the Fleur de Lis Handicap (G2) at Churchill Downs June 15.

"It was a hot day like this (for the Fleur de Lis), and we didn't think she did very well on it (Lasix)," said Mott. "She looked uncomfortable after the race and showed some signs of a small reaction. The mare has never had a shot of Lasix to breeze in the morning in her life. She probably sweated a little more than some of the horses in the paddock today, but that's because she hadn't lost five gallons of water before the race. But her cooling system was actually working properly out on the track.

"I see no need to put her back on Lasix," said Mott.

Mott said that Royal Delta, out of the A.P. Indy mare Delta Princess and bred in Kentucky by Palides Investments, had trained superbly for her Delaware engagement.

"She looked good and had been training great," he said. "Actually, almost a little too good, if there is such a thing. She's been very strong to gallop and wanting to work a little fast, but doing it the right way. You worry about them doing too much sometimes, but that's how she'd been training coming into this."

Leon, who gave Royal Delta some reassuring pats in the saddling enclosure prior to the Del 'Cap, was thrilled that she returned to her winning ways in such an emphatic fashion.

"In her last race she placed second because she had not gotten over the Dubai trip, and now she's back," said Leon. "And I'm very happy to see her back to being Royal Delta again. It would have been better for all the horses if it hadn't been this hot, but the race was this day and this time, and we had to run it. So, hopefully, we should see and enjoy her for the rest of the year, and more of what we saw today."

Leon said the next race on Royal Delta's schedule was the Aug. 25 Personal Ensign Invitational Handicap (G1) at Saratoga.

"She placed second in the Personal Ensign last year, and we intend for her to win and take that trophy," he said.

The $450,000 earned by Royal Delta increased her lifetime earnings to $4,251,126, and improved her record to 11 wins from 19 starts. "There's not many that will pass through your barn like this," said Mott, reflecting on Royal Delta's extraordinary career.

By the numbers

On-track and total handle for Del 'Cap day sagged versus 2012's numbers. This year, $245,954 was bet on-track versus 2012's $312,687, while total handle for the 11-race program was $1,917,275, a drop of $462,299 from last year, when 12 races were carded.