Royal Delta's romp propels her into New York Watch

Her dam might have been a three-time Grade 3 winner on the grass, but don't

tell that to ROYAL DELTA (Empire Maker), who has joined the New York Watch by

virtue of her dominant first-out score on the dirt last Saturday at Belmont

Park. Click

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Unhurried in seventh through a moderate half-mile of :47 3/5, Royal Delta waited

behind traffic with five-sixteenths left, swung to the outside to launch her

stretch run, and overpowered her opponents to win by 12 widening lengths under

Jose Lezcano's snug restraint. The final time for one mile was 1:37 3/5, with

the winner, who returned $16.40 at 7-1, running the final quarter mile in :24

1/5.

Hall of Famer Bill Mott -- who also trained Royal Delta's dam, Delta Princess (A.P.

Indy), for owner Saud bin Khaled -- believed the juvenile would take to the

dirt, but nonetheless was astonished by the power of her performance.

"The reason for entering her on dirt was that she had trained well enough to

warrant giving it a try," Mott said. "She had been outworking her company. It

was no surprise that she won; however, you never expect any of them to win like

that -- it just doesn't happen very often."