Delta: Candrea can lay back in Princess

Candrea did the hard work in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies when she made the fractions before tiring to finish 11th. On Saturday, somebody else might be setting the table for Candrea, who could get an ideal tracking trip in the Grade 3, $500,000 Delta Downs Princess, a one-mile race for 2-year-old fillies that is part of an eight-stakes package at Delta Downs in Vinton, La.

The blockbuster card is led by the Grade 3, $1 million Jackpot. The stakes are worth a cumulative $2.1 million, and half of them will be linked by a $100,000 guaranteed pick four that runs from races 4-7. The Delta Princess will be part of that pick four mix.

Candrea is drawn well in post 5, which has her situated outside of two quick fillies stretching out from sprints, Now I Know and Delightful Magic. Candrea started from post 2 in the Breeders’ Cup and set the pace for six furlongs before tiring.

“She was running well, had the lead, and another filly came to her and she started ducking a little bit,” said Bob Baffert, who trains Candrea. “She was a little green. I’m putting blinkers on her.”

Candrea was second in the Grade 1 Oak Leaf at Santa Anita in her prior race and should go favored under Martin Garcia. She races for the partnership of Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman, who also have the probable Jackpot favorite in Drill.

Candrea’s chief rivals include Delightful Magic, who in May finished second by a length to BC Juvenile Fillies winner My Miss Aurelia in a maiden special weight at Saratoga.

“That’s a pretty good reference,” trainer Mark Casse said of the company line. “She’s run against a couple of the best fillies in the country.”

Delightful Magic also was third to Stopshoppingmaria in another Saratoga maiden race in August. She will be making her two-turn debut in the Princess, off a maiden special weight sprint win by more than seven lengths at Churchill Downs.

“She’s by Mineshaft, which suggests she shouldn’t have any trouble getting the mile,” said Casse.

Citizen Advocate and the undefeated Now I Know will both be seeking their fifth consecutive wins Saturday. Citizen Advocate comes into the race off a wire-to-wire win in the local prep, the $150,000 My Trusty Cat at Delta.

“I’m expecting her to rate this time,” trainer David Vivian said of Citizen Advocate. “There’s a couple of new faces. I’d like to sit second or third. I expect [Now I Know] will dictate the pace.”

Citizen Advocate, who is based at Calder, has been at Delta for the past month, said Vivian.

“I think it’s a huge advantage because it’s a really deep track, and it’s a unique track,” he said.