Dalika holds off Luck Money in Robert Dick Memorial

Dalika was as game as they come, running hard every step of the way, to post a one-length triumph over favored Luck Money in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Robert G. Dick Memorial for fillies and mares at 1 3/8 miles over soft turf at Delaware Park.

Ridden by Miguel Mena for Paul Varga's Bal Mar Equine, Dalika engaged in a battle for the early lead with Candy Flower. The pair pounded out fractions of 24.53, 48.61, and 1:13.18 with Dalika racing to the outside of her pace rival.

Dalika finally tucked Candy Flower to bed on the third turn, but immediately faced a strong challenge from Luck Money, who looked the winner turning into the stretch.

Luck Money got to within a half-length of Dalika but could not sustain her momentum as the winner rebroke again in the final sixteenth. It was another 3/4-length back to Temple City Terror, who seemed a bit unlucky. Bogged down inside on the final bend, she got clear late in the game to grab the show. La Dragontea was fourth, followed by Blame Debbie, Hotsy Totsy, Micheline, and Tonal Verse. Candy Flower faded to last. Dalika paid $10.60 as she won for the seventh time from 22 starts.

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"As long as Miguel wasn't going to fight with her, that's the main key to her," winning trainer Al Stall Jr. said via telephone. "She's got an unbelievable cruising speed. You just let her rhythmically find her stride and go on. I was just watching Miguel's hands and her head, and I didn't see her tossing it about like she has in the past."

Stall mentioned races such as the Grade 2, $250,000 Glens Falls at Saratoga on August 7 as a potential next start for Dalika, a German-bred daughter of Pastorius. At Saratoga, she will join her 3-year-old full sister, Drawn to Race, who was recently purchased by Varga. Drawn to Race has won one of four starts on the turf in France.

Dashing Beauty Stakes

Chub Wagon improved her unbeaten streak to eight with a gate-to-wire victory in the $100,000 Dashing Beauty Stakes for fillies and mares at six furlongs.

Trained by Guadelupe Preciado for Danny Lopez and George Chestnut, the Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Hey Chub was sent away the prohibitive favorite after the early scratches of multiple stakes-winner Hello Beautiful and Grade 3-placed Euphoric.

She did not disappoint.

Ridden by Jomar Torres, Chub Wagon broke alertly and took no prisoners. She cleared to the lead and the rail, rattled off fractions of 22.59 and 45.67 seconds and gradually drew away to win by 5 1/4 lengths in 1:10.17 seconds. She paid $2.20 to win.

Seventeen-time winner Anna's Bandit trailed early, swung widest turning for home and was up for second. It was another 2 1/4 lengths back to Glory Dia. They were followed home by pacepresser Paisley Singing and Ava's Charm.

"After Hello Beautiful scratched, there didn't look like a lot of speed in the race," Preciado said via telephone after the Dashing Beauty. "She did it easily. I told the kid to just break and go."

Chub Wagon was being considered for Gulfstream's Grade 2 Princess Rooney Stakes on July 3, a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, but her connections opted for the Dashing Beauty after blood work taken toward the end of June revealed a minor infection.

"For a week, we had a little problem with her," Preciado said. "She came back and worked out good and the blood came back good."

Preciado did not pick a specific race for Chub Wagon's next start, but a graded stake at Saratoga is a possibility.

"Right now, we'll see how she comes back. I'd like to start her against the big girls to see what we've got there."

Battery Park Stakes

A little class relief can go a long way and Phat Man, favored after competing in graded stakes races in five of his prior six starts, swept by them with a four-wide bid on the far turn to capture the $50,000 Battery Park at 1 1/16 miles.

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Ridden by Florent Geroux, Phat Man took up position three wide and in between horses on the first turn as Deal Driven set the pace while pressured from the inside by Galerio. The two pushed fractions of 23.93 and 47.61 seconds with a headstrong Honor the Fleet tracking in third.

Phat Man cruised up to take over the lead after six furlongs and was not threatened thereafter. The 7-year-old son of Munnings coasted under the line two lengths better than Magic Michael. It was another three lengths back to Deal Driven, followed by Galerio, Honor the Fleet, Midnight Act, and Dixie Drawl. Lord Winsalot was scratched.

Phat Man completed the distance in 1:43.84 and paid $4.60 to win.

"We wanted to put him back on Lasix, that was a big thing," winning trainer Kent Sweezey said by telephone. "Also going back to a two-turn race. We don't get two-turn miles in many places, so we're going to use this as maybe a prep for the Philip Iselin at Monmouth [Grade 3, $250,000 on Aug. 21].

Sweezey scratched Phat Man out of an allowance race at Parx last Tuesday to await the Battery Park.

"He got shod and was a little bit tender on his feet, so we needed to give him a couple of more days. That's why we came here, and it worked out great.”

Magic Michael was a bit unlucky as the runner-up. He raced in the pocket turning for home, was bottled up in minor traffic and finished nicely on the outside.

Phat Man has now won nine races including the Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper Stakes at Gulfstream in 2020. He has banked over $600,000. "He's just a really good boy," Sweezey said.