Royal Jewelry romps in Winter Melody Stakes
Royal Jewelry, a distant fifth and last in her previous appearance at Delaware Park in June, returned from more than two months on the sidelines to dominate Wednesday’s $50,000 Winter Melody Stakes for fillies and mares.
Making her first start since winning a third-level optional $50,000 claimer on turf at Monmouth Park on July 3, the 4-year-old Royal Jewelry ($14.80) set fractions of 48.04 seconds and 1:12.29 en route to coasting to a 5 3/4-length victory under Erick Rodriguez in the 1 1/16-mile Winter Melody.
In her only other race at Delaware, Royal Jewelry was beaten 22 1/2 lengths in the $100,000 Obeah. The winner that day, I’m a Chatterbox, went on to win the Grade 1 Delaware Handicap.
A daughter of City Place trained by Gerald Bennett, Royal Jewelry has now won 8 of 20 starts.
Cayman Croc, making her first start since June, finished second, 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Ritzy Lass. Martini Glass was fourth of five as the 9-5 favorite.