Ultra-Consistent Bonny South Tops Delaware Handicap

In last month's Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) on the Belmont Stakes (G1) undercard, Juddmonte's Bonny South  turned in a valiant effort when she finished behind the brilliant Letruska  and ahead of 2020 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) victress Shedaresthedevil . After making a sweeping five-wide move from the back of the pack around the turn, the daughter of Munnings   was relentless down the middle of the track, cutting the front-running Letruska's five-length advantage down to 2 3/4 lengths under the wire.

Bonny South won't have to face Letruska in the July 10 $400,000 Delaware Handicap (G2) but will face a field of six other distaffers in Delaware Park's annual filly and mare summer classic. After being shortened to a mile and an eighth last year due to the pandemic, the race will return to the traditional distance of a mile and a quarter.

The Brad Cox-protégé successfully navigated the 1 1/4-mile distance last year as a 3-year-old when she was runner-up to champion 3-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver  in the Alabama Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.

In her effort before the Ogden Phipps, Bonny South prevailed in a three-way stretch battle with Royal Flag  and Graceful Princess  in Keeneland's Baird Doubledogdare Stakes (G3) in her first start of the year.

"She is doing well," said trainer Brad Cox. "She is a solid horse. You never really have to make any excuses for her and hopefully with a good trip on Saturday, she will get the job done. We have run her at Fair Grounds, Oaklawn, Pimlico, Keeneland, Saratoga, Belmont, and obviously Churchill, and she has run well each time regardless of distance. She is just a consistent and solid filly."

Last year, Bonny South compiled a record of two wins and three seconds from six starts that included a victory in the Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) and a trio of seconds in the aforementioned Alabama, the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) at Pimlico Race Course, and the Falls City Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs. She has a career record of four wins and four seconds from 10 starts with earnings $692,150.

A solid effort in the Delaware Handicap will a punch a ticket for her to travel to upstate New York in August.

"If all goes well afterward, we will ship her to Saratoga and point for the Personal Ensign (Presented by Lia Infiniti, G1, Aug. 28)," Cox said.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. has entered both e Five Racing Thoroughbreds Gibberish  and Ken Copenhaver's Queen Nekia .

It will be a homecoming for Queen Nekia as the 6-year-old daughter of Harlington  will be returning to the track where she has a main track career record of five wins, two seconds, and a third from 10 starts. The Florida-bred has not raced at Delaware Park since her Delaware Certified Horse of the Year campaign in 2019 when she was trained by Anthony Pecoraro.

Queen Nekia became a graded stakes winner in the Feb. 20 Royal Delta Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park. Since then, the dark bay compiled a pair of fourth-place efforts in the Top Flight Invitational at Aqueduct Racetrack and the Ogden Phipps.

"She has run well at Delaware in the past, so hopefully she will run well again on Saturday," said Joseph. "She was a proven solid filly before we claimed her back in December 2019 and she has gotten even better. She has done more than we could have ever asked for."

Joseph's other Delaware entrant, Gibberish, rattled off three consecutive victories for the conditioner last fall in Florida, including a tally in the Nov. 27 Treasure Chest Stakes at Delta Downs. The 4-year-old daughter of Lea failed to hit the board in two starts this year before finishing second in the June 6 Lady's Secret Stakes at Monmouth Park in her most recent effort.

"Gibberish is also coming into the race well," Joseph said. "She has won a stakes, she beat Queen Nekia once, and Queen Nekia beat her and she is coming off a good run at Monmouth. We feel like the mile and a quarter fits her nicely as well and are expecting a solid effort from her."

Entries: Delaware H. (G2)

Delaware Park, Saturday, July 10, 2021, Race 9

• Grade II
• 1 1/4m
• Dirt
• $400,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 5:15 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Gibberish (KY)	Trevor McCarthy	118	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	8/1
2	2Queen Nekia (FL)	Sheldon Russell	119	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	3/1
3	3Dream Marie (KY)	Joe Bravo	120	Matthew J. Williams	4/1
4	4Saracosa (KY)	Emmanuel Esquivel	116	Cipriano Contreras	10/1
5	5Bonny South (KY)	Florent Geroux	123	Brad H. Cox	3/2
6	6Miss Marissa (KY)	Daniel Centeno	119	James T. Ryerson	6/1
7	7Final Cut (KY)	Jaime Rodriguez	116	Victoria H. Oliver	12/1

Micheline Should Appreciate the Extra Distance in the Robert G. Dick Memorial

Godolphin's Micheline  hasn't attempted such a distance as long as the 1 3/8 miles of the July 10 $150,000 Robert G. Dick Memorial (G3T) since capturing the 1 5/16 miles Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Oaks at Kentucky Downs last September.

The 4-year-old daughter of Bernardini   will be looking to rebound off of two disappointing last-out efforts in the April 10 Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland and the Eatontown Stakes (G3T) at Monmouth Park. Micheline opened her 2021 campaign with a score in Tampa Bay Downs' Hillsborough Stakes (G2T) March 6.

Trained by Michael Stidham, Micheline boasts a record of 5-2-1 from 15 trips to the post and $674,478 in earnings.

H. Graham Motion will be going for his ninth career victory in the Robert G. Dick Memorial when he sends Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Michael Cloonan, and Timothy Thornton's Blame Debbie  postward. In her only outing this year, the Blame   filly rolled to a 3 1/2-length score in the 1 1/2-mile Searching Stakes at Pimlico Race Course June 13. 

A route-specialist, Blame Debbie notched the biggest win of her career thus far in last fall's Rood and Riddle Dowager Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland.

"I had not really planned on running her in this race before her last race, but these races are kind of just falling into place, and I thought she ran nicely the other day at Pimlico," said trainer Motion. "She did not have a hard race and they did not run fast so I feel very comfortable running her back in four weeks. The races are very similar and we get Victor (Carrasco) back to ride. So with our past luck in this race and the way she has been going, it just makes sense for her to be in the race." 

Jordan Wycoff's Candy Flower  may be peaking at just the right time. Three starts back, the bay was beaten a head after setting all the pace in a 1 1/2-mile Keeneland allowance contest at her first attempt over 1 1/16 miles. The daughter of Twirling Candy won an allowance at Belmont Park in her latest trip to the post.

"(Candy Flower) is in good form and we think this a good spot for her," said Joseph. "She has been a little of an overachiever. She always tries hard and runs well. We ran her at a mile and a half once at Keeneland and she just got beat, so we feel like the mile and three eighths should suit her well, so this is a good time to test her against graded competition."

Entries: Robert G. Dick Memorial S. (G3T)

Delaware Park, Saturday, July 10, 2021, Race 5

• Grade IIIT
• 1 3/8m
• Turf
• $150,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 3:15 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Hotsy Totsy (IRE)	Jaime Rodriguez	118	Amber Cobb	15/1
2	2Candy Flower (KY)	Sheldon Russell	120	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	8/1
3	3Blame Debbie (KY)	Victor R. Carrasco	122	H. Graham Motion	9/2
4	4Micheline (KY)	Joe Bravo	124	Michael Stidham	5/2
5	5Temple City Terror (KY)	Florent Geroux	122	Brendan P. Walsh	6/1
6	6Tonal Verse (KY)	Carol Cedeno	118	H. Graham Motion	15/1
7	7Luck Money (KY)	Mychel J. Sanchez	118	Arnaud Delacour	10/1
8	8Dalika (GER)	Miguel Mena	122	Albert M. Stall, Jr.	7/2
9	9La Dragontea (GB)	Trevor McCarthy	120	Christophe Clement	8/1