Sheer Drama the ‘Queen’ of the Delaware H.
Updated: July 18, 2015 at 11:48 pm
Harold Queen homebred Sheer Drama (Burning Roma) stalked Frivolous (Empire Maker) for every step of the way and powered clear in the stretch to get the money by two lengths in the GI Delaware H. America (A.P. Indy) was along for third. The chestnut, a runaway winner of Gulfstream’s GII Royal Delta S. Mar. 21, turned the tables on Frivolous after finishing second to her in Churchill’s GII Fleur de Lis H. June 13. Content to stalk her familiar foe through early fractions of :24.45 and :48.83, the 5-2 chance locked horns with that rival into the stretch, and eventually put her away to record a career high. Favored Rosalind (Broken Vow) never factored while fifth.
Sheer Drama, second at big prices in both the Florida Sunshine Millions Distaff Jan. 17 and GIII Rampart S. Feb. 21, followed her big win in the Royal Delta with two more runner-up finishes. She rallied to complete the exacta as the 2-1 favorite in the GI La Troienne S. May 1 and came within 1 1/2 lengths of Frivolous going 1 1/8 miles in the Fleur de Lis. last time.
Sheer Drama’s dam Riveting Drama (Notebook), a $36,000 OBSMAR 2-year-old purchase in 1996, never made it to the races, but has certainly been kind to her connections in the breeding shed. In addition to champion sprinter Big Drama (Montbook), she has also produced stakes winners Drama’s Way (Farma Way); Little Drama (Burning Roma); and Queen Drama (Burning Roma). She produced a Chapel Royal filly in 2012.
“It is a Grade I and a really big deal,” winning trainer David Fawkes said. “It played out a lot like the Fleur de Lis, just like the announcer described today, but I knew that would really help us. She came into this race great and I loved her sitting second. Joe [Bravo] and I had talked about it the race before and I did not think she was going to make the lead.”
Fawkes continued, “It could not have worked out better. Everything played out perfect. Nobody was closing and I knew our filly had the other one at the head of the lane. But I got to give Frivolous credit, because she battled all the way to the wire and made us run.”
Saturday, Delaware Park
DELAWARE H.-GI, $750,250, DEL, 7-18, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/4m, 2:01.58, ft.
1–&SHEER DRAMA, 118, m, 5, by Burning Roma
1st Dam: Riveting Drama, by Notebook
2nd Dam: Special Token, by Hyperborean
3rd Dam: Accept My Token, by Accipiter
O/B-Harold L Queen (FL); T-David Fawkes; J-Joe
Bravo. $450,000. Lifetime Record: 18-5-8-1,
$918,840. *Full to Little Drama, MSW & MGSP,
$359,299; and Queen Drama, SW, $127,225; 1/2 to
Big Drama (Montbrook), Ch. Sprinter & GISW,
$2,746,060. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Frivolous, 118, m, 5, Empire Maker–Sixty Rocketts,
by Belong to Me. O-G. Watts Humphrey Jr; B-G
Watts Humphrey (KY); T-Victoria H. Oliver.
$150,000.
3–America, 114, f, 4, A.P. Indy–Lacadena, by Fasliyev.
($725,000 RNA Ylg ’12 KEESEP). O-Bobby Flay; B-B
Flay Thoroughbreds (KY); T-William I Mott. $82,500.
Margins: 2, 3 3/4, 1 3/4. Odds: 2.50, 4.70, 6.20.
Also Ran: Flashy American, Rosalind, Joint Return, Fortune Pearl.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.