Yellow Ribbon Stakes : Like Mother, Like Daughter: Delighter, 3, Wins 10 Years After

It was, in a sense, a delightful finish to an amazing story.

Ten years ago, a chestnut filly named Amazer came from 19 lengths off the pace to become the first 3-year-old to win the prestigious Yellow Ribbon Stakes, the nation’s richest turf race for fillies and mares.

On Sunday, in front of 34,484 at Santa Anita, Delighter, a brown filly with a distinctive white face, emulated her mother by winning the 12th running of the $400,000 Grade I event.

In doing so, she became the first daughter of a previous winner to reach the winner’s circle and only the third 3-year-old to win the 1-mile event. Castilla was the second in 1982.

Given a perfect ride by Chris McCarron, Delighter began making her move at the half-mile pole, took the lead in the stretch and won by 1 lengths while covering the distance on a firm course in a comparatively slow 2:02 2/5.

Bill Shoemaker, who had ridden Amazer to her 1978 triumph, brought 30-to-1 longshot Nastique home second, and No Review, with Rafael Meza aboard, finished third, another two lengths back.

Shoemaker, who also won the Yellow Ribbon in 1983 on Sangue and in 1985 on Estrapade, did not figure to be in at the finish this time, not with such stars as Annoconnor, Sudden Love, Jeanne Jones and Chapel of Dreams in the race. But Nastique closed strongly to earn second place.

“I had to go round (wide) a little bit turning for home but outside of that, I had a good trip all the way,” Shoemaker said. “She ran great.”

McCarron, meanwhile, said that having had a chance to work with Delighter for an hour or so on Monday had helped greatly in giving him a feel for the Evergreen Farm filly, making her first U.S. start after a nine-race career in France.

“She impressed me when I breezed her, and I was able to really ride with confidence,” McCarron said. “I didn’t know anything about her going in, so the work really helped.

“I learned that she could run. Her record is not all that impressive (2 victories in 10 starts coming into Sunday’s race), but I really liked the way she got across the ground the other day. She handled the course extremely well.”

Delighter, by Lypheor out of Amazer by Vaguely Noble, is trained by Jonathan Pease but has been handled throughout her career by assistant trainer Helen Fernandez. McCarron said Pease had given him a useful tip before the race.

“He told me that she’s pretty much got one pace,” he said. “She won’t quicken immediately when you ask her to run; she’s kind of a momentum-builder. So I started asking her to run at the half-mile pole. Normally, if I was within easy striking distance of the leaders at that point, I would have waited. But he asked me to move a little sooner than I normally would because she takes a little time to get her momentum built up.

“But once she’s in high gear, he said she really turns it on.”

That, Delighter certainly did. Annoconnor, who had won three of her last four stakes, could manage no better than fourth. The French-bred Sudden Love, one of six European-raced horses in the field of 12, was fifth.

“I was kind of stuck in there (in the pack),” said Corey Black, who rode 5-to-2 favorite Annoconnor. “I never had a chance. I had no shot to run until the sixteenth pole.”

Those who look for such omens might have seen an interesting parallel between Amazer and Delighter had they checked mother’s and daughter’s past performances.

In 1978, in her last start before winning the Yellow Ribbon, Amazer finished third in the Canadian International at Woodbine in Toronto.

Since renamed the Rothmans International, it was also Delighter’s last start before Sunday’s race.

She, too, finished third. Just as on Sunday she, too, finished first.

Delighter will remain in the United States, joining the Charlie Whittingham barn, her owner, C.N. Ray of Knoxville, Tenn., said.

“She’s doing well, she’s settled in here well,” Fernandez said last week. “I think she’ll adapt well to American racing.”

Judging by Delighter’s start, she already has.

Horse Racing Notes

Sent off as an entry with Ladanum, Delighter paid $15.20, $7.80 and $5.00. Nastique paid $21.80 and $10.00 to place, and No Review paid $7.40 to show. The winner’s share of the purse was $240,000 and increased her career earnings to $382,726. . . . A field of 11, headed by Nasr El Arab and Media Starguest, goes to the post today in the $200,000-added Carlton F. Burke Handicap. The Grade I event, run at 1 miles on the turf, will see Gary Stevens trying to repeat his Oak Tree Invitational triumph aboard Nasr El Arab, while the Irish-bred Media Starguest, fourth in the Arlington Million at Woodbine, will be ridden by Ray Cochrane. Others likely to contend include Circus Prince, Putting and Baba Karam. . . . Laffit Pincay is 3 victories away from becoming only the second jockey ever to win 7,000 races. Bill Shoemaker, who has ridden 8,782 winners, reached the 7,000 plateau at Santa Anita in 1976 at age 44. Pincay, 41, who scored his 6,997th victory Saturday aboard Is It True in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, has five mounts today, the final day of the Oak Tree meeting. . . . Trainer Willard Proctor, 72, was listed in fair condition at Arcadia Methodist Hospital Sunday after undergoing surgery for an aneurysm Saturday.