Regaled at home in mud, gains second consecutive Delaware Handicap win
Trainer Whit Beckman said he doesn’t know if Regaled loves Delaware Park, or a wet track, or a wet track at Delaware Park. But when the 5-year-old mare splashed home in the mud to win her second straight Grade 3 Delaware Handicap on Saturday, he didn’t need an answer.
“Everything seemed to line up, just like it did last year,” Beckman said. “She got a nice pace to run at, and I mean, she just ran an incredible race. She'd been doing great and she reflected that in her performance today.”
In her first victory since winning the Delaware Handicap last year, Regaled closed from last under jockey Joseph Ramos in the 1 1/8-mile race, swinging six-wide into the stretch and taking dead aim at the top flight. She showed no signs of rust off a three-month layoff, blowing right by to win by three lengths.
Now a two-time graded stakes winner, the mare entered her second Delaware Handicap with $971,000 in career earnings. She will leave her favorite track a millionaire.
Chasten, a two-time listed stakes winner trained by Brad Cox, rallied from fifth and made a strong bid of her own, but she had no chance of keeping pace with the winner. She finished 1 1/4 lengths clear of the 2-1 favorite Nerazzuri, who stalked and briefly led for trainer Mark Casse before yielding to the top two.
The 33-1 pacesetter Low Country Magic did not do much running after completing the opening quarter-mile in 22.78 seconds and half-mile in 47, but she provided exactly what Regaled needed at the back of the pack. Beckman acknowledged that his mare is trip-dependent, but the deep closer has now received perfect conditions at Delaware in both of her visits. She completed the 1 1/8-mile distance in 1:50.48 and paid $9.40 to win.
“She’s shown, even against track biases sometimes, that she can make some pretty serious runs,” Beckman said. “I think she's always better clear on the outside, and it’s pretty much what we saw today.”
Eunomia, who was expected to be a serious contender coming off a win in the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch at Santa Anita, scratched less than an hour before the race. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. blamed worsening track conditions throughout the day for his late decision to withdraw.
Angel Bella and Take Charge Omaha also scratched, shortening the field to eight fillies and mares.
Just as he did last year, Beckman said he plans to use the Delaware Handicap as a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Oct. 31. Last year, Regaled shipped to Del Mar as a 30-1 longshot and rallied from 11th to finish third in the championship race. She finished a half-length behind runner-up Nitrogen, who is expected to be the daunting favorite in this year’s Distaff.
At Keeneland this year, Beckman said the surface should be more forgiving for his mare’s closing style. Rain also is more likely at the Kentucky track.
“Keeneland has more fairness in terms of getting punished for pace, I think, more so than you would at Del Mar,” Beckman said. “So we're hoping we get some rain and some pace.”
Regaled’s losing streak between Delaware Handicap victories is mostly a result of the competition she faced earlier this year. She was no match for the late Claret Beret in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap, finished far behind Nitrogen in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps, and just missed against Immersive in the Grade 2 Fleur De Lis.
Yet, October rolled around again, and near the end of a stiff campaign, the battle-tested mare found her footing in a familiar locale. She will return to the big stage later this month as a million-dollar earner and last-out graded stakes winner, right alongside the titans of her division.
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