Team Dalton product Down Royal upsets A. P. Smithwick Steeplechase
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Between them, the wife and husband team of Kate and Bernard Dalton are the breeders, part-owners, trainer, exercise rider and jockey of Down Royal, an 8-year-old New York-bred mare.
Imagine the thrill they experienced Wednesday at Saratoga when the 6-1 Down Royal reeled in 15-1 longshot Chief Justice to win the Grade 1, $150,000 A. P. Smithwick Steeplechase at Saratoga.
“This filly got me my 100th winner as a jockey at Nashville over jumps in America - you can’t write that script,” Bernard Dalton said. “To come here and win a Grade 1 on a filly that you own, bred and have ridden probably 99.9 percent of the time, you can’t describe the feeling it gives you to accomplish this.”
And Down Royal won it in dramatic fashion. After sitting sixth of seven for most of the trip, Down Royal was moved out from the inside and into the four path following the seventh fence. She advanced three wide around the far turn, and coming to the top of the lane had just one horse to catch - the 15-1 shot Chief Justice, who under Barry Foley had taken the lead midway on the turn after sitting an up-close third early on.
In deep stretch, Dalton rallied Down Royal inside of Chief Justice to get the victory by a neck. It was 1 1/4 lengths back to French Light in third. Historic Heart, Redicean and Iranistan, the 2-1 favorite, completed the order of finish. Pistol Whipped, the 5-2 second choice, was pulled up after the fifth fence. She was found to have bled. Both Pistol Whipped and French Light were vanned off.
Down Royal has now won five of six starts in 2021-2022, including one race where she finished second but was awarded the victory when the winner was disqualified for a medication positive.
“I think the big improvement in her was taking her off the Lasix at the beginning of last year,” Bernard Dalton said.
On this 90-degree afternoon, Dalton believed that with most of the other horses coming off Lasix for the Smithwick, Down Royal had an advantage, having raced without Lasix since June 2020.
“I knew first time round I was traveling well, but I knew they were going fast and in this heat most of the horses were off of Lasix for the first time,” Dalton said. “You’re hoping more than knowing they’re going to back up after the last [fence] and that was kind of the case.”
As she watched the race unfold, Kate Dalton said she would have been content had Down Royal finished third.
“But then she got up to second and it didn’t look like she was going to pass Chief Justice and I was delighted with second,” Dalton told NYRA publicity. “But she just kept giving 100 percent. It’s what she does. I don’t know why she’s suddenly got so good, but she has.”
Down Royal covered the 2 1/16 miles in 3:49.57 and returned $15.60.