Well-rested Restless Rider returns in Royal Delta

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – When Kenny McPeek saddled Restless Rider as the second choice for the Kentucky Oaks last May, he could not have known that he was in for a couple of letdowns.

One, that the filly would run so poorly – finishing 13th – and two, that it would be more than nine months until her next start.

“We still can’t really pinpoint why she ran as bad as she did,” McPeek said. “But that’s all behind us. We’re getting a fresh start to what’s hopefully going to be a good year with the filly.”

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Restless Rider, with Jose Ortiz riding from post 4, is among a well-matched field of fillies and mares Saturday at Gulfstream Park in the Grade 3, $150,000 Royal Delta at 1 1/16 miles. The gray 4-year-old filly was supposed to return last fall at Keeneland following a brief post-Oaks freshening, but a quarter crack delayed her comeback.

“We gave her all the time she needed to get back to herself,” McPeek said. “She’s really thrived in her training at Gulfstream, and we’re eager to get started.”

Golden Award, Coach Rocks, and Cookie Dough are among her most capable opposition, with Queen Nekia and Tweeting rounding out a field of six.

Restless Rider was first or second in her seven starts prior to the Oaks, including a victory in the Grade 1 Alcibiades and a runner-up finish behind Jaywalk in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. That consistency at such a high level made her Oaks performance all the more puzzling.

Golden Award (post 5, Tyler Gaffalione), trained by Bill Mott, could actually come favored Saturday, having earned the two highest Beyer Speed Figures (96 and 93) in the field in winning two of her last three starts of 2019, the Grade 3 Shuvee at Saratoga in July and the Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm at Aqueduct in early November. The 5-year-old mare has been working steadily at Payson Park since early January.

“I couldn’t ask any more of her,” Mott said. “We were going to run her one more time in the fall, but she got a little fever and we just stopped on her. She looks great and is doing well.”

Coach Rocks (post 2, Luis Saez) will be making her first start since being purchased for $450,000 by WinStar Stablemates Racing last November at Keeneland and turned over to Todd Pletcher.

“She came to us shortly after they bought her as a broodmare prospect, although it’s my understanding she’ll run through this year,” Pletcher said. “She came to us in good shape and has been training very professionally.”

Cookie Dough (post 6, Paco Lopez), runner-up as the favorite in the Grade 3 Rampart here in December, will be making her first start since being turned over to Saffie Joseph Jr. The 4-year-old Arindel homebred figures on the pace from the opening bell.

Mott, incidentally, was the trainer of Royal Delta, who won 12 of 22 starts and $4.8 million in a career that resulted in three Eclipse Awards and a 2019 Hall of Fame induction. The race had been known as the Sabin before being renamed in 2015.

Two allowances (races 9 and 10) and four maiden specials (races 3 5, 7, 12) are part of a solid card that starts at noon Eastern. The Royal Delta is race 11 and goes at 5:04. It is part of a Rainbow 6 that spans races 7-12 and was expected to offer a jackpot guarantee of $1 million.