Four Gifts delivered an early holiday present to owners Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt when she charged through the stretch to catch C. S. Silk inside the eighth pole and win the Boyd Gaming’s Delta Princess Powered by Youbet.com Stakes (gr. III) (VIDEO) Dec. 5 at Delta Downs. It was the third victory in five starts for the 2-year-old Even the Score filly, who was bred in Kentucky by Ro Parra’s Millennium Farms.
Kept in mid-pack during the early part of the mile race, Four Gifts scored by 2 1/4 lengths under 117 pounds while receiving five pounds from topweight and even-money favorite C. S. Silk. The victory was the second on the card for trainer Steve Asmussen and jockey Shaun Bridgmohan. The two combined to win the Treasure Chest Stakes for fillies and mares with 5-year-old Rolling Sea, who races for Millennium.
The Delta Princess, worth $500,000, was the first start in a stakes for Four Gifts and came about five weeks after she won at Churchill Downs at seven furlongs. Her first three races were contested on synthetic surfaces. Four Gifts, who is out of the Service Stripe mare Agiftfromservice, won at Keeneland in her first start.
Off at 7-1 odds, Four Gifts scored in 1:38.71 over a fast track, after the early fractions of :22.61, :47.19, and 1:12.52 were set by 63-1 Secrettina. The winner, who races in the name of Heiligbrodt Racing Stable, earned $300,000 for her effort. Finishing third was Smokin Again, followed by Loveyou Everybody, Just Jenda, Secrettina, Phoenician Moon, Southern Yankee, and Garter Belt. Livin Lovin was scratched.
Four Gifts paid $16.60, $5.80, and 5:20. C. S. Silk paid $2.80 and $2.40, and Smokin Again paid $7.40.