Bellezza returns to ideal 1 3/8-mile turf in Delaware Park test

Bellezza gets the trip she wants in Delaware Park’s Robert G. Dick Memorial Stakes, and that is the whole handicap. The Grade 3 for fillies and mares 3 and older, Race 7 on the card with a 3:44 p.m. post time and a $250,000 guaranteed purse, asks a simple question: is the mare’s stamina edge big enough to make this a distance race instead of a class race?

The answer may decide the 29th running of a stakes that has been testing turf mares since 1997. Delaware Park’s signature staying event has a long list of winners with real depth, from Memories of Silver and Alternate to Honey Ryder, Starformer, War Like Goddess and Marksman Queen (GB). The race has also produced a benchmark final time of 1:43.66 by Memories of Silver in 1998 and a 5 1/4-length blowout by Honey Ryder in 2005, proof that when a mare gets comfortable at 11 furlongs, the margin can widen fast.

Bellezza brings the profile that makes bettors stop and lean in. The Moyglare Stud Farm homebred by Siyouni is 4-for-13 with $615,622 in earnings, and her best work has come at this exact distance on turf. She won the Flower Bowl at Saratoga and the Sheepshead Bay at Aqueduct at 1 3/8 miles in 2025, and her only loss in three tries at the trip last year came when she was sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar. She has been just as solid in the United States overall, with a 2-1-1 record from six starts after beginning her career in Ireland, first for Christophe Clement and now for Miguel Clement following Christophe Clement’s death.

The one blemish in the current form cycle is the kind handicappers have to weigh carefully. Bellezza was sixth in the Orchid Stakes at Gulfstream Park on March 28, but that race did not play to the same staying strengths that define her better efforts. Back on 1 3/8 miles, she should be able to settle where Jaime Rodriguez wants her and wait for the race to come back to her.

The field is not empty class, though. Alluring Angel, a 2025 Long Island Stakes winner for Bill Mott, returns from nearly five months away after later stakes losses. Dona Clota, a group 1 winner from Chile, brings international credentials, while Storm Miami, a graded-placed runner from Ireland, adds more depth. Ceniza Pampa and Tricky Kitty complete a compact six-horse group that should keep the pace and positioning honest.

If the tempo is fair, Bellezza’s stamina could be the difference. If it is soft, class may get louder. That is the wager at Delaware Park.