Miss Leslie made it look easy in Saturday’s $500,000 Delaware H. (G2), seizing the lead with a powerful turn of foot on the far turn and drawing off to a 12-length blowout win in the slop. The four-year-old filly notched her third consecutive stakes triumph, and first graded win, when completing the 1 1/4-mile trip in 2:04.50.
Campaigned by BB Horses and trained by Claudio Gonzalez, the 9-5 favorite was guided by regular rider Angel Cruz.
Miss Leslie still needs to prove herself against deeper competition, but she’s on a quite a roll presently. Based in Maryland, the dark bay was exiting wins in the Serena’s Song S. at Monmouth Park in early May and the June 8 Obeah S. at Delaware. The seven-time stakes heroine, a daughter of Paynter, increased her bankroll to $865,650 from a 22-10-3-2 record.
Battle Bling, the 2-1 second choice, closed for runner-up honors while never a threat to winner, finishing three-quarters of a length better than 29-1 Tonal Vision. Bees and Honey, Onyx, Let’s Cruise, and Microcap completed the order.
Bred in Kentucky by Maxis Stable, Miss Leslie is out of the Mingun mare Zeenut.
In the $200,000 Robert G. Dick Memorial (G3), Key Biscayne registered a 36-1 upset, rallying between rivals to take the lead entering the stretch and edging away to a 1 1/4-length decision. Daniel Centeno was up for owner/breeder Arindel and trainer Juan Alvarado on the five-year-old mare, who completed 1 1/2 miles on the soft turf in 2:25.59.
She was exiting a wire-to-wire win in an off-the-turf allowance at Gulfstream on June 12, and her lone previous stakes success, the Monroe at Gulfstream last summer, was taken off the turf. Key Biscayne earned her first turf win since an allowance tally in 2020, and the chestnut Florida-bred has now earned more than $435,000 from a 24-6-3-3 scorecard.
Sister Otoole closed for second at 6-1, nearly two lengths better than 8-1 pacesetter Gladys in third. Next came Treasure Tails, Belle Belisa, Luck Money, Temple City Terror, Whimsical Muse, and Stand Tall.
Key Biscayne is Brethren, and she’s the first stakes winner from the Lemon Drop Kid mare Boa Twelve.
