Royal Delta was still in the early stages of her Hall of Fame career when she stormed down the center of the track, seized command a sixteenth of a mile from the finish and drew clear to win the $2 million Ladies’ Classic by 2 ½ lengths as the slight 2-1 favorite. It’s Tricky, the 4.60-1 third choice in the Churchill Downs field of nine, had a slight lead for a moment before being overtaken by the winner. Pachattack at 13-1 made a late run to be third another 2 ¼ lengths back.

Kentucky Oaks heroine winner Plum Pretty romped on the lead through the first mile in 1:38.12 before fading to fifth as the second choice also at 2-1. Time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:50.78.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Royal Delta was named Eclipse Award champion three-year-old filly. She had won the Ladies’ Classic in the name of her breeder, Palides Investments of Prince Saud bin Khaled, who had passed away nine months earlier. As part of his estate’s plan to disperse all horses in his elite collection of about sixty, Royal Delta was sold at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock sale a few days after the Ladies’ Classic for $8.5-million. The price (through 2021) is a Keeneland record for a horse in training and the third highest for horses offered as broodmare/broodmare prospects. The buyer was Benjamin Leon who sent her back to Mott to continue her career for his Besilu Stable. The daughter of Empire Maker went on to win the Ladies’ Classic again in 2012 and finished fourth in the 2013 in her final career start. She won the Eclipse Award as champion older female in both of those seasons.