Stonetower Stable’s highly-regarded Sea Queen, fresh from a bang-up second in the Grade I Belmont Oaks at Belmont Park in New York, heads a field of ten talented three-year-old fillies Saturday in the 58th running of the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Oaks.
Sea Queen will be trying to supply trainer Christophe Clement with his third success in the Del Mar Oaks, the conditioner having won the mile and one-eighth grass event with Rutherienne in 2007 and Discreet Marq a year ago.
Rafael Bejarano has the call on Sea Queen, a daughter of Lemon Drop Kid who has won three of six starts.
Opposing Sea Queen, the likely favorite, will be Stallaris, second in the Arlington Park Oaks; My Conquestadory and Tepin, both trained by Mark Casse; a pair of Irish-bred fillies making their U.S. debuts, Odisseia and Maibaby; stretch-running Diversy Harbor, runner-up to Room Service in the Grade I American Oaks; Famous Alice, twice stakes-placed; Istanford, wire-to-wire winner of the San Clemente Handicap, and Personal Diary, a close-up second to Sea Queen at Keeneland last spring.