Ladies' Classic champ Royal Delta sold

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Lexington, KY (Sports Network) - Champion filly Royal Delta was sold Tuesday night at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. The winner of last week's Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic went for $8.5 million to Benjamin Leon's Besilu Stables.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and she's the whole package," said Leon. "As I've said before, my passion is breeding. I can't think of a better mare to breed in the future than her. But I also can't think of a better filly to enjoy now on the track than her. So we're going to enjoy her at the track as long as she can do that, and then there will be the day that she will become a mom and begin to have babies, but no rush on that. We want to give her all the opportunity to do her thing."

The three-year-old filly was sold as part of the dispersal from Palides Investments N.V., Inc of the late Prince Saud bin Khaled.

"The timing couldn't have been more perfect (with winning the Breeders' Cup)," said Ron Wallace, president and general manager of Prince Saud's Chanteclair Farm. "She's a proven package. She'll probably have a better year next year. If you want a racehorse and a broodmare, she's got it all. She is a star."

Royal Delta won Friday's Ladies' Classic by 2 1/2-lengths to secure her position as the top three-year-old filly for 2011.

"It's always tough to lose one like her," Mott said Saturday morning. "We'd love to have her, but I guess that's up to whoever buys her. I'd love to have her back. She's been a really good one.

"She ran a tremendous race. The way she was training on this track (Churchill Downs), we expected a good performance from her."

This year Royal Delta won the Black-Eyed Susan and Alabama Stakes and was second to Havre de Grace in the Beldame. She earned $1,657,400 in seven starts with four wins.