Diva Delite seeks to keep streak going in Beaumont

DIVA DELITE (Repent), who extended her winning streak to five in the March 13

Florida Oaks (G3) last time out, will attempt to make it six in a row when she

makes her debut for new trainer Ian Wilkes in Wednesday's $150,000

Beaumont S. (G2) at Keeneland. The dark bay sophomore headlines a

seven-filly field set for the about seven-furlong Polytrack test over the Beard

course.

Formerly trained by David Vivian, Diva Delite had a busy 11-race campaign at

two. After dropping into the claiming and starter allowance ranks, she began to

put it all together late last fall, and capped her 2009 season with a 7

1/2-length romp in an entry-level, off-the-turf allowance at Calder. That was

the beginning of her current skein. Diva Delite added another starter allowance

success, then proved herself against stakes rivals in her next three at Tampa,

sweeping the Gasparilla S., Suncoast S. and Florida Oaks.

Vivian recently sold Diva Delite back to her breeder, Cloverleaf Farm II

Inc., who transferred her to Wilkes. The Florida-bred picks up the services of

Julien Leparoux while cutting back to one turn in her synthetic debut here.

Only two other Beaumont entrants have stakes experience, and both sport wins

on synthetic surfaces. Multiple stakes heroine FRANNY FREUD (Freud) scored in

the Ontario Debutante S. over Woodbine's Polytrack last August, defeating

subsequent Alcibiades S. (G1) winner Negligee (Northern Afleet). Franny Freud 

comes off a solid runner-up effort in the Santa Ynez S. (G2) at Santa Anita,

beaten by subsequent Davona Dale S. (G2) romper Amen Hallelujah (Montbrook).

Garrett Gomez stays aboard the John Terranova II pupil. CHANTILLY NAYLA (Five

Star Day), whose two Polytrack victories include a starter allowance win at

Keeneland in October, rallied in time in the off-the-turf Mardi Gras S. at Fair

Grounds in her latest.

Rounding out the field are the royally-bred TIA (Giant's Causeway), who has

won her past two for Shug McGaughey; recent Oaklawn maiden winner and probable

pacesetter GLOWING REPORT (Consolidator) from the Wayne Lukas barn; GRAND AFFAIR

(Grand Reward), an entry-level allowance/optional claiming scorer over the

Polytrack at Turfway; and the repatriated KAWIYE (Tapit), who impressed in both

of her starts in Peru and makes her U.S. debut for Michael Matz.