DIVA DELITE (Repent), who extended her winning streak to five in the March 13
Florida Oaks (G3) last time out, will attempt to make it six in a row when she
makes her debut for new trainer Ian Wilkes in Wednesday’s $150,000
Beaumont S. (G2) at Keeneland. The dark bay sophomore headlines a
seven-filly field set for the about seven-furlong Polytrack test over the Beard
course.
Formerly trained by David Vivian, Diva Delite had a busy 11-race campaign at
two. After dropping into the claiming and starter allowance ranks, she began to
put it all together late last fall, and capped her 2009 season with a 7
1/2-length romp in an entry-level, off-the-turf allowance at Calder. That was
the beginning of her current skein. Diva Delite added another starter allowance
success, then proved herself against stakes rivals in her next three at Tampa,
sweeping the Gasparilla S., Suncoast S. and Florida Oaks.
Vivian recently sold Diva Delite back to her breeder, Cloverleaf Farm II
Inc., who transferred her to Wilkes. The Florida-bred picks up the services of
Julien Leparoux while cutting back to one turn in her synthetic debut here.
Only two other Beaumont entrants have stakes experience, and both sport wins
on synthetic surfaces. Multiple stakes heroine FRANNY FREUD (Freud) scored in
the Ontario Debutante S. over Woodbine’s Polytrack last August, defeating
subsequent Alcibiades S. (G1) winner Negligee (Northern Afleet). Franny Freud
comes off a solid runner-up effort in the Santa Ynez S. (G2) at Santa Anita,
beaten by subsequent Davona Dale S. (G2) romper Amen Hallelujah (Montbrook).
Garrett Gomez stays aboard the John Terranova II pupil. CHANTILLY NAYLA (Five
Star Day), whose two Polytrack victories include a starter allowance win at
Keeneland in October, rallied in time in the off-the-turf Mardi Gras S. at Fair
Grounds in her latest.
Rounding out the field are the royally-bred TIA (Giant’s Causeway), who has
won her past two for Shug McGaughey; recent Oaklawn maiden winner and probable
pacesetter GLOWING REPORT (Consolidator) from the Wayne Lukas barn; GRAND AFFAIR
(Grand Reward), an entry-level allowance/optional claiming scorer over the
Polytrack at Turfway; and the repatriated KAWIYE (Tapit), who impressed in both
of her starts in Peru and makes her U.S. debut for Michael Matz.