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Crown Queen exercises sovereignty in QE II
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| Crown Queen, a half-sister to Royal Delta, is still perfect in four starts this season
(Keeneland/Coady Photography) |
Besilu Stables' Crown Queen extended her winning streak to four in Saturday's
Grade 1, $500,000
Queen
Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at
Keeneland, and as
racing royalty, became an apt winner of the race named for the British monarch.
A half-sister to three-time Eclipse Award winner Royal Delta, the Bill Mott
trainee remains undefeated during her 2014 campaign, characterized by a swift
and relentless progress through the ranks.Crown Queen was sent off as the slight 5-2 favorite off her successful stakes
debut in the August 16 Lake Placid at Saratoga. The prevailing soft ground in
Lexington might have given cause for concern, but the blueblood daughter of
Smart Strike and Delta Princess took it all in her raking stride.
Another queen, Sea Queen, went forward to set the pace through splits of :24
2/5, :48 4/5 and 1:13. Belmont Oaks Invitational winner Minorette stalked in
second before coming under pressure rounding the far turn, and ultimately faded
from contention.
Meanwhile, Crown Queen, who had been perched just a couple of lengths back on
the outside, began to creep closer. As Sea Queen tried to open up turning into
the stretch, Crown Queen was advancing smartly, and wore down the pacesetter.
Ball Dancing, proven on soft ground in France prior to her recent score in the
Sands Point, rallied from farther back to threaten. But Crown Queen rebuffed her
by three-quarters of a length, completing 1 1/8 soggy miles in 1:49 4/5 and
paying $7.20 to win.
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"It was perfect," Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez said of his trip aboard
the winner. "I imagined that she was going to be close right from the gate, but
when she didn't break very good it was a blessing in disguise because I had to
get her nice and relaxed going into that first turn. I dropped in and saved some
ground and by the time we got to the backstretch I just put her in the clear and
let her get her momentum going. From then on, it was all her. She put in a good
fight down the lane as well."
"My horse (Ball Dancing) leveled off beautifully," jockey Joe Bravo said.
"Turning for home, I was really excited. I looked over and Johnny's horse (Crown
Queen) was more excited turning for home."
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| Ball Dancing (left) rallied, only to be repelled by the upwardly mobile winner
(Keeneland/Coady Photography) |
Ball Dancing was a clear second by two lengths. Sistas Stroll, the Pucker Up
winner, got up to force a dead-heat for third with Del Mar Oaks heroine Personal
Diary. Minorette reported home another three lengths astern in fifth, trailed by
Sea Queen and Speed Seeker. Aurelia's Belle and Daring Dancer were scratched.Crown Queen doubled her career earnings to $593,000 from her 6-4-0-2 line,
compiled exclusively on turf. Third in both of her outings as a juvenile, the
dark bay was given time to mature, and connections are now reaping the rewards
of their patience. Crown Queen returned from an eight-month layoff to break her
maiden by 2 1/2 lengths June 15 at Belmont Park. Stepping up in trip to 1 3/16
miles for a July 20 entry-level allowance at Saratoga, she stamped herself as
something potentially special with a four-length conquest. Crown Queen was
forced to work harder in the aforementioned Lake Placid, but she duly justified
6-5 favoritism to earn a Grade 2 laurel, and added a coveted Grade 1 here.
"We ran her a couple of times as a two-year-old," Mott said, "and (owner) Mr.
(Ben) Leon wanted to give her some time over the winter to mature and grow up a
little bit. It's worked out perfectly. He made a good call, and she's undefeated
this season and now she's a Grade 1 stakes winner.
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"It was a very special win for me since I trained her mother (Delta Princess)
and her grandmother (Lyphard's Delta) and a lot of the family (including Royal
Delta). It's a very meaningful win for me."
The Kentucky-bred Crown Queen was purchased for $1.6 million as a weanling at
Keeneland November,
where she was offered as part of the dispersal of the late Prince Saud bin
Khaled's Palides Investments NV. Her half-sister Royal Delta commanded $8.5
million, also from Besilu Stables, at the exact same sale, shortly after her
first Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic victory in 2011. Voted that year's champion
three-year-old filly, Royal Delta came back to reign as champion older female
for the next two seasons. She repeated in the 2012 Ladies' Classic, and retired
as a six-time Grade 1 winner with $4.8 million in earnings.
Crown Queen is also a half-sister to Grade 1-placed Carnival Court and Grade
2-placed Empire Way. Their dam, multiple Grade 3 vixen Delta Princess, is in
turn a full sister to Grade 1 heroine Indy Five Hundred, who finished last as
the favorite in the 2003 QE II. As an A.P. Indy mare, Delta Princess counts as a
three-quarter sister to Group 1 hero Biondetti, who is by A.P. Indy's son
Bernardini.
Crown Queen's second dam is Group 2 winner Lyphard's Delta, and her third dam
is champion handicap mare Proud Delta.
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