Delightful Joy rallies to first stakes win in Monmouth Oaks

Delightful Joy settled well off the pace with Paco Lopez and blew past her rivals in deep stretch of Saturday’s $111,000 Monmouth Oaks (G3), registering her first stakes win with a 1 ¾-length decision.

The Tapit filly wasn’t ready for stakes company when making her second career start in April’s Beaumont (G2) at Keeneland, finishing sixth as the 6-5 favorite, but she’s now won two straight for Chad Brown and rates as an up-and-coming 3yo.

The chestnut completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.74, scoring as the 3-1 second choice among 11 runners.

Owned by Sheep Pind Partners, Robert V. LaPenta and Bradley Thoroughbreds, Delightful Joy has now earned $139,200 from a 5-3-0-1 record. She was exiting a facile allowance victory over entry-level foes at Belmont Park on July 16.

Eskenformoney, the 5-2 favorite, got up for second along the rail , edging the 10-1 White Clover by a half-length. It was another length back to Tiger Ride in fourth. Curlishj Figure, Money’soncharlotte, Love Came to Town, Lady Serena, Catcha Rising Star, High Dollar Woman and Light the City completed the order of finish.

Delightful Joy was bred in Kentucky by Besilu Stables and was purchased for $105,000 at the 2014 OBS April two-year-old sale. She’s out of the Grade 3-winning Graeme Hall mare Graeme Six.

Delightful Joy striding away to a convincing victory courtesy of Taylor Ejdys/Equi-Photo