Delahaye closed powerfully to earn her first graded victory in the GIII Mint Julep S. Sunday at Churchill Downs. The even-money favorite was jostled between rivals at the break and was taken in hand to settle well off the pace as longshot Safeen went out to the early lead. Safeen was unchallenged through pedestrian splits, while Delahaye raced three wide with two horses beaten down the backstretch. The favorite rushed up into contention with a four-wide move approaching the stretch, inhaled the pacesetter inside the final furlong and strode clear to a confident victory.
“All credit goes to [trainer] Chad [Brown] and his team,” said winning jockey Tyler Gaffalione. “His team did a great job of getting her ready for this start. Today was her second race this year at Churchill and I could tell I had a lot of horse beneath me. She was traveling very well throughout the entire race and turning for home she had a really nice kick. She's been impressive in her prior races being able to show a lot of different dimensions in her running styles. I just try to stay out of her way the best I can.”
Delahaye was a narrowly beaten second in her debut over the Gulfstream lawn in February 2023, but wasn't seen again until breaking her maiden at Aqueduct that November. Off nearly three months after that effort, she returned to take a Gulfstream optional claimer in January and earned a stakes win in the Mar. 23 Tom Benson Memorial S. at Fair Grounds. She was most recently third in the May 4 GII Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile.
Pedigree Notes:
Delahaye is the 91st worldwide graded winner for Medaglia d'Oro and the first out of a War Front mare. From 12 named foals with that cross, there are three stakes winners and one stakes-placed runner.
The filly is the first foal out of the unraced Bella Carina, who is a half-sister to Grade I winner Malibu Prayer (Malibu Moon) and to multiple graded winner Valid (Medaglia d'Oro). Her 4-year-old half-sister Grand Love (Gun Runner) was third in the 2022 GIII Pocahontas S. and in the 2023 GIII Honeybee S.
Bella Carina produced a colt by Not This Time in 2022 and a colt by Gun Runner in 2023. She was not bred back last year. Her 2-year-old RNA'd for $350,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.
Sunday, Churchill Downs
OLD FORESTER MINT JULEP S.-GIII, $249,668, Churchill Downs, 6-2, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16mT, 1:45.46, yl.
1–DELAHAYE, 118, f, 4, by Medaglia d'Oro
1st Dam: Bella Carina, by War Front
2nd Dam: Grand Prayer, by Grand Slam
3rd Dam: Lyrical Prayer, by The Minstrel
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($550,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP).
O-William H. Lawrence and Three Chimneys Farm;
B-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown;
J-Tyler Gaffalione. $150,315. Lifetime Record: 6-4-1-1,
$416,715. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or
the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Heavenly Sunday, 118, f, 4, Candy Ride (Arg)–Alien Giant,
by Giant's Causeway. ($170,000 RNA Ylg '21 KEESEP).
O-Miacomet Farm (William Harrigan); B-Randal Family Trust
(KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $48,650.
3–Safeen, 118, f, 4, War Front–Tafaneen, by Dynaformer.
($18,000 2yo '22 KEEJAN). O-Fergus Galvin and Rebecca Hillen;
B-Shadwell Farm, LLC (KY); T-Eddie Kenneally. $24,325.
Margins: 1 3/4, HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 1.18, 3.36, 18.11.
Also Ran: Be My Sunshine, Misread, Fuente Ovejuna (GB), Excellent Question, Immensitude (Fr). Scratched: Henrietta Topham.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuelTV.
#7 Delahaye gets her third win this year in the G3 Old Forester Mint Julep S. at Churchill Downs for trainer Chad Brown with @tyler_gaff aboard! 🍀
🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/VSElXCUbuK
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) June 2, 2024
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