Lewis Bay, Curlin's Approval rematch in Royal Delta Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Owner-trainer Happy Alter is hoping a six-pound swing in weights and a favorable shift at the post position draw can help his Curlin’s Approval turn the tables on Lewis Bay when the two square off for the second time this meet in Monday’s $200,000 Royal Delta Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

The Grade 2, one-mile Royal Delta highlights a special 12-race Presidents Day card at Gulfstream Park.

Lewis Bay registered a 1 1/4-length victory over the even-money Curlin’s Approval when they met for the first time nine weeks ago in the Grade 3 Rampart, also at a mile. Lewis Bay has been idle since the Rampart, while Curlin’s Approval has finished second again, turning back to seven furlongs in defense of her title in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie on Jan. 27.

Lewis Bay took the race right to Curlin’s Approval in the Rampart. Breaking outside the rail-drawn Curlin’s Approval under Irad Ortiz Jr., Lewis Bay kept her pinned on the rail the entire trip, and edged clear through the final furlong. Lewis Bay was making her first start in nearly 13 months.

Curlin’s Approval carried high weight of 123 pounds that afternoon, four more than Lewis Bay. Those weight assignments have shifted under the allowance conditions of the Royal Delta, with Lewis Bay now the topweight at 123 pounds and Curlin’s Approval with 121. Curlin’s Approval will break outside of Lewis Bay in the rematch, having drawn the outside post in the eight-horse field.

“We respect the competition, as always,” said Alter, who also bred Curlin’s Approval, who won the Royal Delta by six lengths a year ago. “But I think we might see it turn around this time. I’m optimistic about her chances.”

Curlin’s Approval has trained extremely well since the Hurricane Bertie, breezing five furlongs in 58.13 with jockey Edgard Zayas aboard on Feb. 8. Zayas, who won the Barely Even Stakes on Curlin’s Approval here last fall, replaces regular rider Luis Saez, who is out of town on Saturday.

Lewis Bay breaks from post 2 under Ortiz in her 2018 debut. Trainer Chad Brown said the 5-year-old daughter of Bernardini, a four-time graded stakes winner, surprised him with how well she performed off the bench in the Rampart.

“Off the layoff, she exceeded even my expectations how well she ran and we’ve given her a good spacing between that win and the next start to recover off her last race,” Brown said.

Although Lewis Bay and Curlin’s Approval will be the first and second choices in the wagering, the Royal Delta is far from a two-horse contest. Trainer Todd Pletcher will counter with the three-time Grade 3 winner Unbridled Mo, who returns for the first time since winning the Grade 3 Doubledogdare as the odds-on favorite around two turns last April at Keeneland. Martini Glass returns locally off a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Sam Houston Ladies Classic three weeks ago.

Pletcher said he is looking forward to getting Unbridled Mo started again.

“She’s physically done well, she’s gained weight, and she’s training well,” Pletcher said. “It’s a tough race for her to come back in, but when you’ve accomplished what she has, it’s tough to cherry-pick your spots, and a one-turn mile seems like a nice place to get her going.”

The remainder of the field comprises the Grade 1-tested Verve’s Tale; the Uruguayan Group 1 winner Giulia in her U.S. debut; and stakes winners Tapa Tapa Tapa and Surprise Wedding.