Obeah Winner Miss Leslie Tops Delaware Handicap
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Photo: Hoofprints, Inc.
Miss Leslie wins the Obeah Stakes at Delaware Park
Multiple stakes winner Miss Leslie is in top form heading into the $500,000 Delaware Handicap (G2) July 9 at Delaware Park, where she won the Obeah Stakes in her most recent start.
Since the Obeah Stakes was inaugurated in 1996, three fillies or mares have won the race and followed with a victory in the Delaware Handicap. They were the 2006 older female champion Fleet Indian; I'm a Chatterbox, who won the race in 2016; and Miss Marissa, who won last year.
BB Horses' Miss Leslie, a 4-year-old daughter of Paynter , won the Obeah by half a length over Michael Dubb and Gandharvi Racing Stables' Battle Bling , whom she'll face again in the Delaware Handicap. Trained by Claudio Gonzalez, Miss Leslie has two stakes wins and two stakes placings out of five starts this year, and is also 2-for-2 at Delaware Park.
"She is coming into the race really good," Gonzalez said. "She came back in great shape after the Obeah Stakes. The longer the race, the better it is for her. The older she gets, the better she gets. She has become so much more mature this year, which is the reason she has been getting better with each race. We feel good that she likes the track."
Miss Leslie was bred in Kentucky by Maxis Stable, which raced her twice in 2020 before losing her to BB Horses in a claim for $40,000 at Laurel Park. The filly has since earned $556,350. Prior to the Obeah Stakes, she won the Serena's Song Stakes at Monmouth Park by 4 1/4 lengths going a mile and 70 yards. She has never tried the 1 1/4-mile distance of the Delaware Handicap, but she won last year's Carousel Stakes at Laurel Park and was second by a neck in the Ladies Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack, which are both 1 1/8 miles.
Miss Leslie is the field's highweight at 121 pounds and will be ridden by Angel Cruz, who has been aboard for her eight previous starts, which include four stakes wins.
Battle Bling, trained by Rob Atras, also has not been tried at 1 1/4 miles but she did get the best of Miss Leslie by a neck in the Ladies Stakes and finished a good fourth May 6 in the La Troienne Stakes Presented by Signify Health (G1). Battle Bling is a 4-year-old daughter of Vancouver , who was sold for $110,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale to Alex and JoAnn Lieblong. They lost her in a claim to R. A. Hill Stable and Spedale Family Racing, who in turn lost her in a claim to Dubb.
She will be ridden in the Delaware Handicap by Kendrick Carmouche and carry 117 pounds.
The remainder of the field includes fillies and mares looking to step up in class or attempting to regain previous black-type form.
An intriguing challenger is Greg Giles and Joann Hillebrand's Let's Cruise , a 4-year-old daughter of leading third-crop sire Not This Time . She has three wins and three seconds from six starts this year and comes into the race off a second in the Romacaca Stakes on the turf at Hawthorne Race Course. Prior to that performance, she won a mile and 70-yard allowance optional claiming race by 15 1/2 lengths carrying 121 pounds. She will be carrying 113 in the Delaware Handicap and have Carol Cedeno aboard. The filly is trained by McLean Robertson, who is winning at a 28% rate in stakes this year.
Delaware Park, Saturday, July 09, 2022, Race 7Entries: Delaware H. (G2)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Let's Cruise (KY)
Carol Cedeno
113
McLean Robertson
8/1
2
2Onyx (FL)
Jeremy Rose
112
Juan Alvarado
10/1
3
3Tonal Vision (KY)
Jeiron Barbosa
116
Juan Carlos Guerrero
8/1
4
4Battle Bling (KY)
Kendrick Carmouche
117
Rob Atras
3/1
5
5Microcap (KY)
Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.
114
Grant T. Forster
4/1
6
6Bees and Honey (KY)
UMBERTO RISPOLI
115
Claude R. McGaughey III
6/1
7
7Miss Leslie (KY)
Angel Cruz
121
Claudio A. Gonzalez
2/1
