The main protagonist of the Dubai World Cup, Royal Delta
Under the banner of Besilu Stables the 4-year-old Empire Maker filly, Royal Delta is ready to go International, as she is scheduled to run in the 17th edition of the Group 1, $1 million Dubai World Cup at the Meydan, where she will be up against many top
notch runners from all across the globe, including some American superstars, the likes of Bob Baffert trained Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic runner up last year, Game on Dude.
Trained by Bill Mott, out of mare Delta Princess by A. P. Indy, Royal Delta was purchased by Leon from Chanteclair Farm, after bidding a whopping $8.5 million which turned out to be the winning bid during the Keeneland November breeding stock auction.
Her price sky rocketed, after her brilliant 3-year-old career, where out of seven starts she won 4, finished as a runner up one and third once, while her season was defined by a gutsy run in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic at about 1 1/8 miles at
Churchill Downs last fall.
After purchasing Royal Delta, the 3-year-old filly was honoured by an Eclipse Award for being the top 3-year-old filly of 2011. Royal Delta made her 2012 debut in the Gulfstream Park’s Grade 3 Sabin Stakes, where she finished second to winner, Awesome Maria
on 25 February, 2012, at about 1 1/16 miles.
Leon was still happy with his filly’s performance despite a second place showing, he was grateful that she didn’t come hurt out of the race, because that would be an awful hindrance going into the Dubai World Cup.
“We knew that it was not the ideal distance for her. She’s a distance horse. It was a race in preparation for Dubai. Of course if we had won, we would have enjoyed it better, but the goal was Dubai. After all, Royal Delta placed third before her grade I
win in the (TVG) Alabama Stakes and she placed second before the Breeders’ Cup (Ladies’ Classic). That is Bill Mott’s way of training and way of doing things, these preparation races.”
Then again in the Dubai World Cup it will be a girl against big boys, and chances do look slim, but Leon is confident that she will live up to expectations and bring home the World Cup glory to Besilu Stables.
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