It Tiz Well Holds Off Challengers in Delaware Oaks

West Coast shipper It Tiz Well found her way back to the winner's circle July 8 when she held on to win the $300,000 Delaware Oaks (G3) as the odds-on favorite. 

Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Arch filly stalked the pace in the 1 1/16-mile event at Delaware Park before finally edging away from Proud and Fearless and Actress in the final strides to win by a half-length.

Proud and Fearless reared in the gate before the start, but immediately assumed the lead going into the first turn as It Tiz Well stalked in second under jockey Drayden Van Dyke—who recently returned to riding in June after an injury led to extended time off. Second-choice Actress, winner of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) May 19, raced at the back of field of six 3-year-old fillies. Proud and Fearless lead through fractions of :24.28, :48.22, and 1:11.87 for six furlongs. 

As the field approached the turn, Actress moved up to fourth while It Tiz Well went to the outside of Proud and Fearless. With a mile going in 1:37.16, Proud and Fearless held a narrow advantage over It Tiz Well and Actress, continuing to move up on the outside, in the stretch.

In the final strides, It Tiz Well put in a late surge to secure the victory over Proud and Fearless. Actress settled for third, a head back. The final time was 1:43.55 over a fast main track. 

You Know Too, Berned, and Modacious completed the order of finish. 

Off at 4-5, the winner returned $3.60, $2.80, and $2.10 across the board. 

The Jerry Hollendorfer trainee entered Saturday's score off of a fourth-place finish in the Summertime Oaks (G2) at Santa Anita Park after a troubled trip and ran third in the Santa Anita Oaks (G1) behind grade 1 winners Paradise Woods and Abel Tasman. It Tiz Well notched her first graded win in the Honeybee Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park in March. 

Bred by Allen and Susan Branch out of the stakes winning Tiznow   mare It Tiz, It Tiz Well was a $230,000 purchase by her owners at the 2015 Keeneland September yearling sale. She now boasts a record of 4-1-2 record from eight starts with earnings of $466,840.