Sea Queen pursues Grade 1 win in Del Mar Oaks

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Sea Queen, the runner-up in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks last month, was sent by plane Tuesday from Albany, N.Y., to Southern California, where she will run in Saturday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Oaks. She also was nominated to Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Lake Placid Stakes here.

“We don’t have that many Grade 1’s – just two left, I think – and I just think she deserves a chance to run in a Grade 1,” trainer Christophe Clement said. “Same purse as the race in Saratoga, but a Grade 1 makes a big deal for her pedigree. She deserves to go there, and hopefully she’ll be competitive.”

Sea Queen, a daughter of Lemon Drop Kid, has 3 wins and 2 seconds from 6 career starts. She defeated Minorette in the Wonder Again Stakes but lost to that same rival in the Belmont Oaks.

Clement has won the Del Mar Oaks twice, with Rutherienne in 2007 and Discreet Marq last year. Clement said Sea Queen will be ridden by Rafael Bejarano.

Clement said he might run Summer Solo, third in the Belmont Oaks, in the Lake Placid, a race that had only four definite starters as of Tuesday: Crown Queen, Duff One, Minorette, and Xcellence.