After losing two straight photo finishes in Grade 3 company, R Disaster left no doubt in the $100,000 Rehoboth Stakes at Delaware Park on Saturday. Taking full advantage of a shortened field, the 4-year-old filly chased quick opening fractions and pulled away at will in the stretch to win her first stakes race by 6 1/2 lengths.  “She ran huge,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “She was obviously the speed of the race. We were able to get in a good spot and she sat a good trip from there and she kicked on nicely. Very happy with the effort.” In R Disaster’s last start in the Grade 3 Vagrancy at Aqueduct, she dueled all the way around the track with her stablemate, Ice Haulin, and came up just short in a game performance. She was supposed to be joined by two runners from that race in the Rehoboth, along with $125,000 Correction winner Sunday Girl, but all three of those New York rivals scratched at Delaware.  R Disaster’s presence in the field, along with expected rainfall, likely scared away most of the contenders. Joseph never had any doubts about taking the trip. His 3-1 morning-line favorite went off at 1-2 odds and paid $3.00 to win. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “We didn’t expect the race to be this tough on paper,” Joseph said. “Some of the good horses scratched out, obviously. I think everyone was trying to look for an easy spot and we all had the same idea. People realized it was too tough of a spot to run in.” It was a trademark performance from the beginning. R Disaster broke sharply, but when 4-year-old filly Miss Harriett hustled to the lead from the rail, she didn’t try to overtake her and instead chased just behind through an opening quarter-mile in 21.92 seconds. The early leader was already flagging entering the far turn when R Disaster began kicking into gear. She inherited the lead without much urging from jockey Jorge Ruiz, completing a half-mile in 44.50 seconds, and entered the stretch with an easy three-length lead. She drew away to win by more at the wire, finishing the six-furlong race in 1:09.83. Despite caving early against the heavy favorite, Miss Harriett managed to hold on to finish second. Longshot mare Drifaros and jockey Jaime Rodriguez, who earned his 2,500th victory earlier in the Saturday card at Delaware, picked up a place in the stretch to finish third. With five victories in nine starts and two recent runner-up finishes in graded stakes competition, R Disaster is clearly pointing toward tougher spots this summer. Training in New York, Joseph first considered keeping her at Saratoga for the Grade 2 Bed o’ Roses next weekend, but decided that he wanted to guide her to a stakes victory first. She will now prepare for the Grade 2 Honorable Miss at Saratoga on July 20. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.