Dalika re-rallies in stretch to upset Beverly D.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Dalika posted an improbable first Grade 1 victory of her in-and-out career Saturday when roaring back to prevail as the longest shot in a field of five fillies and mares in the Beverly D. at Churchill Downs.

Dalika led for most of the “about” 1 1/8-mile distance of the Beverly D. before being overtaken in midstretch by Princess Grace, but then Dalika and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. fought back to win by a half-length.

Dalika “ran a brilliant race,” Hernandez said. “She’s the type of filly that you don’t even worry about how fast you’re going because if you try to slow her down then you’re just getting in her way. You just get her out there and leave her alone, and that’s what we did today. We just let her show her talent, and we were lucky enough to get the job done.”

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Behind the top two, Family Way was third, another two lengths back, while Lily Pond was fourth and the 17-10 favorite, Rougir, never threatened when trailing throughout.

Dalika, trained by Al Stall Jr. for the Bal Mar Equine of retired Brown-Forman chief executive Paul Varga, returned $17.02 to win after finishing in 1:46.31. The clocking is easily a record for the new Churchill turf but calls into question as to whether the actual distance was significantly shorter than 1 1/8 miles.

The Beverly D. and the Arlington Million, scheduled for some 3 1/2 hours later, were the only two turf races on an 11-race card. All others were run on the main track due in large part to difficulties with the Churchill turf course through the first six weeks of the spring meet.

The Beverly D. was run with a temporary inner rail of 24 feet, while the Arlington Million was to be run later with the rails taken down and along the inside hedge.

Dalika, a gray 6-year-old bred in Germany, entered with seven wins and seven seconds from 27 career starts but had never gotten close to a Grade 1 win while owning three previous stakes wins, including the Grade 3 Dick Memorial last summer at Delaware Park. She had been fifth of six at 28-1 in her most recent race, the Grade 1 Diana four weeks beforehand at Saratoga.

“Getting a Grade 1 with a mare like her is huge, for obvious reasons,” Stall said. “We couldn’t be prouder of the way she dug down and got this done. Paul has been a great client and a great friend for many years, so that’s even more reason for us being as overjoyed as we are.”

Besides the winner’s share of $310,000, which takes her bankroll to $954,856, Dalika also earned an expenses-paid Win and You’re In berth to the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland. She is not a Breeders’ Cup nominee, so whether to pay a supplementary fee to make her eligible “will be up to Paul,” Stall said.

Either the Ladies Turf Mile or Ladies Marathon next month at the rich Kentucky Downs meet is a possible next race for Dalika, Stall said.

Princess Grace looked the Beverly D. winner with a furlong to run, having caught and passed Dalika after giving closest chase from the opening strides, but it was not to be.

“She gave it her all,” said her trainer, Mike Stidham. “That’s all you can ask.”

The $2 exacta (1-3) paid $67.56, and the $1 trifecta (1-3-2) returned $98.64.

* The afternoon began on a sour note when the 2-year-old filly Conversational broke down in deep stretch of the first race and was subsequently euthanized. Her jockey, John Velazquez, escaped serious injury. No other horses or riders were involved.

* Handle on a two-day pick six that led off with the Beverly D. was only $24,869. The new $1-minimum wager combined three Churchill stakes with three more Sunday at Ellis Park.