Royal Delta wins Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico

BALTIMORE — Wyomia was considered the best filly in Friday’s Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, at least on the morning line. But instead it was a horse who finished down the track from Wyomia two months ago who stole the show.

Royal Delta breezed past Wyomia, Hot Summer and the rest of the short field to capture the $250,000 race for 3-year-old fillies at Pimlico Race Course. With Jose Lezcano aboard, she took control down the back stretch and won by 2½ lengths. She paid $5.60 to win.

“We thought she was a nice filly early on, but soon realized she was a little better than we thought,” trainer Bill Mott said. “She just keeps improving.”

Long shot Buster’s Ready — or as much of a long shot as can exist in a five-horse field — was second, while Hot Summer was third.

Without the national television coverage on Versus and the six-digit purse, it was hard to tell this race from many of the others on Friday’s undercard. No horses came back for this race after the Kentucky Oaks, considered the best race for fillies in the spring.

Facing just four competitors and capturing her first graded stakes race, it’s equally hard to tell how good Royal Delta could be going forward. Mott said the filly will be pointed to the Mother Goose Stakes June 25 at Belmont Park.

How the ever-improving horse will perform then is unknown, but for one day, she was the queen of racing in Baltimore.

But the horse had to share that distinction with Emma Jayne Wilson, who captured the inaugural Female Jockeys Challenge by collecting 28 points in her rides throughout the day.

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