Delight-ful Win in the Jessamine Stakes
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Delight accelerates down the stretch to win the Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland
George Strawbridge Jr.'s promising 2-year-old turf filly Delight took a huge step Oct. 7 on opening day of Keeneland's Fall Meet where she won her first test in a graded stakes and earned a spot in the gate of the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T).
The daughter of Ashford Stud's freshman sire Mendelssohn also became her sire's first black-type winner and first graded stakes winner after capturing in near gate-to-wire fashion the $320,463 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes (G2T).
Delight broke sharply for the 1 1/16-mile race, her second start at the distance, and only relinquished the lead briefly as the field rounded the first turn. Tracking alongside the rail under jockey Luis Saez, they regained the lead entering the backstretch and never gave it up again. She led her 11 challengers through relaxed opening fractions of :24.32, :49.61, and 1:14.73 on a firm course.
Entering the stretch G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s Bling made a run at the leader but Delight accelerated away to win by five lengths. Town and Country Racing's Knockyoursocksoff used a sharp closing kick to be a neck ahead of Bling at the wire for second. The final time was 1:44.14.
"The plan was to follow somebody and have a target for the lead, but she broke so well and did it on her own. She controlled the pace and relaxed beautiful," said Saez. "When she came to the top of the stretch, it was all about her. She had a big turn of foot and I didn't really have to do anything—just keep going on with her, and she did it."
Trainer Jonathan Thomas gave credit to Strawbridge, who races as Augustin Stable, for allowing him to take his time with the filly who he acquired on the owner's behalf for $400,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale from Paul Sharp's consignment. Hickstead Farm bred Delight out of the Medaglia d'Oro daughter Honey Trap.
The connections of Delight in the winner's circle after the Jessamine Stakes
"We were hoping to get her covered up, but she really relaxed," Thomas said. "I love seeing her ears twitching back and forth. You're always hoping you have horse, and she kicked away. That's when you see Luis really, really good, when he's on the lead like that. He's so well rounded, but that's when he's absolutely brilliant."
Chris Block, who trains Knockyoursocksoff, said he was proud of his filly's closing finish with jockey Flavien Prat.
"I'm really proud of her that she recovered from the start," he said. "She ran into that slow pace. Flavien did a fantastic job of tucking in there and saving ground, and she was finishing very strong at the end. I'm more than proud of her."
While Delight has earned an all-fees paid place in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, which will be run at Keeneland, Block said he hopes to see his filly in the field as well.
"I think you have to (think about the Breeders' Cup)," he said. "Look, I'm green at this, in the Breeders' Cup; I think I've run one horse in it. I'm not sure if she can get in, but if she were to get in, I'd like to give her a shot. She's got a race over the course. She obviously was finishing strong. We'll see how she comes out of it and wait and see if we can get in, and if she's doing well, we might give it a try."
Thomas said having a graded win already at the Breeders' Cup's host track certainly inspires confidence.
"It's the greatest, and it's for such a wonderful owner. He's really put a lot of faith in us. It's really special," he said.
WATCH: Saez, Thomas Pleased With Progression of Delight
Honey Trap is unraced, but she is a half sister to stakes winners Little Nick V. (Colonel John) and Now Spun (Hard Spun ). Her dam, Campionessa, is a winning daughter of A.P. Indy and out of the 1992 Hollywood Oaks (G1) winner Pacific Squall. Delight is Honey Trap's first foal. The mare also has a yearling filly by The Factor and produced a filly by Vekoma this year. She was bred back to Lexitonian .
Mendelssohn, a son of Scat Daddy, showed versatility as a racehorse. At 2, he won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) and then at 3 won the U.A.E. Derby Sponsored by Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah (G2) and was second in the Runhappy Travers Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1). Currently the seventh-leading first-crop sire by progeny earnings, Mendelssohn becomes the second sire of his crop with a graded stakes winner. The sire's progeny have already been showing success on multiple surfaces, with seven of his 16 career winners to date winning on the turf.