Oaklawn Park: Delta Flower impresses in Rainbow Miss Stakes

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Delta Flower backed up an impressive maiden special weight win with a clear stakes score at Oaklawn Park on Saturday, winning the $75,000 Rainbow Miss by 3 3/4 lengths over Little Miss Flurry.

The Rainbow Miss was a six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies bred in Arkansas.

Delta Flower ($3.60) was prominent from the start, tracking Callmeawinner for a brief while before taking over through an opening quarter in 22.22 seconds. She proceeded to take the field through a half-mile in 46.40 and went on to cover the distance on a track rated “fast” in 1:12.27.

“Turning for home, I was able to sit all the way until she came to that right lead, and I asked her, and she kicked on,” said winning rider Terry Thompson. “The way speed was carrying today, it was going to be really hard to catch her.”

Thompson rode the winner for trainer Stanley Roberts.

Delta Flower was making her first start for the ownership of Gillian S. Campbell, Dan Clark, Greg Skoda, and Richard A. Robertson after previously racing for Roberts.

Roberts co-bred Delta Flower, a daughter of A.P. Delta, with Bill Morrison. The filly was third in her career debut against statebreds Feb. 16 at Oaklawn, then cruised to a three-length win over open-company maiden special weight rivals at Oaklawn on March 8.

“I had a lot of confidence in her,” Roberts said of the open-company start with Delta Flower.