Delta Princess makes the grade

The colts have long had their Jackpot, but now the fillies are getting some serious cash, too. Delta Downs has boosted the purse of the Princess from $300,000 to $500,000, and the one-mile race, which will be run as a graded stakes for the first time Friday night, has drawn an excellent match-up in C. S. Silk and Livin Lovin.

C. S. Silk is expected to start as a slight favorite following her appearance in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. She set a hot pace and finished seventh to probable champion Stardom Bound in the mile and a sixteenth race Oct. 24 at Santa Anita.

"I thought she ran well," said Dale Romans, who trains C. S. Silk. "I thought she went at a pace that would have been tough for any horse to sustain. It was just too fast early and she still only got beat five lengths with the best fillies in the country."

C. S. Silk won the Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Lassie at Arlington Park one start before the Breeders' Cup. She went wire to wire in the one-mile race, which came following an off-the-pace maiden special weight win at Churchill Downs in July.

"I don't know that she has to be on the lead by any means, but I think she'll be laying close to the pace," said Romans.

Robby Albarado has the mount.

Livin Lovin could sit just behind C. S. Silk. She moves back to two turns following a 4 1/4-length win in the Grade 3 Tempted going a one-turn mile at Aqueduct on Nov. 2.

"In her last race, she was explosive," said Steve Klesaris, who trains Livin Lovin. "She sat behind the front-runner and in the lane just overpowered the pacesetter. It was kind of like a turf move. Her last furlong was explosive."

Livin Lovin has since been working at Fair Grounds. Ramon Dominguez has the mount.

Just Jenda owns the field's best last-race Beyer Figure, a 91, earned for her nine-length romp in the $75,000 Brandywine at Philadelphia Park. With the win, she remained perfect in two starts for trainer Larry Jones.

Trainer Steve Asmussen has a promising starter in Four Gifts. She won a first-level allowance at Churchill Downs on Nov 1, and since then two fillies who finished behind her have come back to win first-level allowances, including Loveyou Everybody, who starts in the Princess for trainer Ken McPeek.