08-05-2025
Sires to reward luckless Deltason
PERTH It has not been the smoothest of preparations for Deltason, but trainer Meryl Hayley thinks it can end on a positive note when her promising juvenile tackles the final big race of the two-year-old season at Ascot on May 10.
After a late scratching in the Perth Stakes (1,100m), Deltason missed out on a run in the Group 2 Karrakatta Plate (1,200m) on April 26 by narrowly missing the cut for prize money criteria.
But the talented two-year-old can regroup in the A$200,000 (S$167,000) Group 3 WA Sires Produce Stakes (1,400m).
Deltason goes into the final run of his campaign in winning form after breaking his maiden status in dominant fashion on April 30, kicking clear and drawing away to win by 3¼ lengths when stepping up over 1,400m.
Since making his debut in March, the son of I'm All The Talk always appeared to be a horse looking for more ground than 1,000m, and ticking the 1,400m box last start has given Hayley a sharp confidence boost.
"We were really looking forward to the 1,400m," said Hayley in an interview to TABradio.
"Like everyone else, we knew he would get the trip and it was good to get him across the line to be honest.
"We were just praying there were no more barrier disasters with the horse.
"He's been to the races a couple of times and not managed to get around.
"Every time he goes in the gates and comes out of them, we're happy.
"Obviously we earmarked the Karrakatta and Sires with him but we just dipped out not having that run in the Perth Stakes.
"We'll never know and it's upwards and onwards. We just had to change tack through the prep and take a different route, and we still made it."
Deltason has drawn wide in the Sires, barrier seven of nine, but Hayley is not fussed.
"He'll obviously settle a couple of pairs back like he did last start and hopefully he'll be hitting the line," said the trainer from Gingin, a town 65km north of Perth.
"He's fit as a fiddle, it's a matter of keeping him mentally happy."
Laqdar Ramoly, who finished third on Kosta's Crown in the 2022 Sires, has ridden Deltason at all his four starts and maintains the association.
The Perth-based Mauritian jockey has yet to boast any Group silverware among his haul of 341 wins in seven years of riding in Western Australia.
He does have four Listed wins to his resume, three of them coming in the Beaufine Sprint, including two aboard Nerodio (2021 and 2022), arguably the best horse he has ridden thus far.
It remains to be seen whether Deltason can knock Nerodio off that status on May 10, but Ramoly certainly sees no foibles in Hayley's ward.
"He's a very mature horse, very intelligent. You can do whatever you want with him, put him on pace, put him back," Ramoly said.
"He's still a bit green when he hits the front, but he's definitely a good horse for the future."
If Deltason wins, Ramoly would become the second Mauritian jockey in 33 years to win the Sires. Bellal Wachill pulled off the feat in 1993 with Starbaleta.
Incidentally, the lime green, white spots, yellow sleeves and caps would not be at their first hurrah in the Perth 2YO classic either.
Motion Pictures saluted for the Northern Thoroughbreds outfit run by Don Hammarquist in the 2010 renewal, and was trained by the now-retired David Casey, younger brother of Sean, who helms a leading training partnership with son Jake these days.
Hayley, who herself is chasing a first Sires, says win, lose or draw, Deltason will enjoy a good break following the Sires, but is looking forward to his return later in the year as a three-year-old.
Backed by Ramoly's assessment, she is confident he will measure up in major races including the Group 2 WA Guineas (1,600m) on Nov 22.
"Absolutely, even Laqdar says the further the better," said Hayley when asked about the tougher assignments down the road.
"He's such a quiet horse that settles really well. He's never been flighty or over-races.
"After Saturday he'll go for a long break, and we'll bring him back for some of the feature races as a three-year-old."
If there are any threats to Deltason in the Sires, Hayley said that they are the Luke Fernie-trained Just Too Fly, runner-up in the Perth Stakes and Karrakatta Plate, and Fila Mia for trainer Jayce Buckley. RACING WA
