Delahaye surges to victory in Mint Julep Stakes
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Trainer Chad Brown entered five fillies and mares in the Grade 1 Just A Game Stakes, a one-mile grass race Friday at Saratoga, and has two more for the New York over 1 3/16 miles on turf. With his East Coast string overflowing in the division, Brown left the 4-year-old filly Delahaye at Churchill Downs after she raced last month, and on Sunday she landed the Grade 3, $250,000 Mint Julep Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile turf race.
Under Tyler Gaffalione, Delahaye rated in sixth during the early and middle stages of the Mint Julep, cruised into contention coming off the far turn, and swept four paths wide past Safeen and Heavenly Sunday for a 1 3/4-length win. Safeen led through a half-mile in 49.70 seconds over a yielding course, Heavenly Sunday stalking from second, but despite an easy pace that led to the two leaders finishing third and second, they were no match for Delahaye’s move.
Heavenly Sunday pushed past Safeen in the final half-furlong to finish second by a half-length. The other five were at least a couple lengths farther back, with third-choice Immensitude struggling home last. Henrietta Topham, who won the 2023 Mint Julep, was scratched.
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Delahaye was timed in 1:45.69 and paid $4.36 as the strong favorite. The day’s other grass race was taken off a rain-soaked course that was breaking away from the Mint Julep horses in large clods.
Delahaye had no trouble handling it. Owned by William Lawrence and the filly’s breeder, Three Chimneys Farm, Delahaye is Medaglia d’Oro out of Bella Carina, by War Front. Third in the Grade 3 Distaff Turf Mile last month behind two of her stablemates, Delahaye won for the fourth time in just seven starts while notching her first graded-stakes victory. She has shown an increasingly potent turn of foot this year, and as a lightly raced and still improving filly, could be on to bigger things this summer.
The challenge will be finding a spot for her not occupied by several other Brown-trained fillies.
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