Hawksmoor first starter at Arlington for Delacour

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – During a very successful training career that began in 2013, Arnaud Delacour has sent out close to 1,050 starters. But Hawksmoor, who runs in the Grade 1 Beverly D. on Saturday, will be his first at Arlington.

Hawksmoor is part of a deep, very competitive 10-horse field in the 1 3/16-mile Beverly D. From the rail out, the entrants are Dacita, Prado’s Sweet Ride, Kitten’s Roar, Dona Bruja, Grand Jete, Zipessa, Rainha Da Bateria, Sarandia, Hawksmoor, and Rain Goddess.

Delacour would probably still be without an Arlington runner had things gone according to plan with Hawksmoor. The 4-year-old filly got off to an excellent start in 2017 with a narrow win over multiple Grade 1 winner Dacita in the Beaugay Stakes and a one-length score in the New York Stakes over Quidura, who came back to finish second in the Grade 1 Diana. Hawksmoor herself had been penciled in for the Diana, but two weeks before the race, she became ill.

“She got sick and had a fever,” said Delacour. “We had to miss a week of training completely, but she’s been good ever since. She’s had three strong breezes for this race, and I think she’s doing very well.”

Hawksmoor races for Roy and Gretchen Jackson’s Lael Stables, which won the 2006 Secretariat here with Showing Up. The Irish-bred Hawksmoor had solid group-level form overseas during 2015 and 2016 before being imported late last year. She finished a tough-trip second in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland, ran well below form in the Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs to end her 3-year-old campaign, and came out breathing fire this year.

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