Delaunay cruises in Iowa Sprint Handicap

ALTOONA, Iowa – Delaunay seized command from the outset and bounded clear for a 5 1/4-length tally in Friday’s $125,000 Iowa Sprint Handicap, the featured event on opening night of the Iowa Festival of Racing.

Breaking sharply under jockey Ramon Vazquez, the favored Delaunay ($3.80), an 8-year-old Smoke Glacken gelding, went unchallenged in besting five rivals headed by the late-rallying Bruvver Max.

Based at Churchill Downs with trainer Tom Amoss, Delaunay gained an elusive win in the Iowa Sprint following excellent efforts when second in the last two renewals. Last year, he gamely battled eventual champion sprinter Work All Week before succumbing to a half-length defeat.

Bruvver Max, who was more than 10 lengths behind the winner in the early stages, got past third-place finisher Den's Legacy by a half-length.

Owned by Maggi Moss of Des Moines, Iowa, Delaunay earned $75,000 for his 19th lifetime victory and pushed his career earnings to $1,202,071. He traveled six furlongs in 1:09.33.