WON: Apparently Juvenile(G3), Nearco Special
2nd: High Flyer Stakes(G1), Manofjunk Stakes(G2), New South Wales Turf Club 2002 Golden Slipper (Owner Restricted), Champagne Stakes Turf Stakes (Owner Restricted)
3rd: Graduation Stakes(G1)

By- Zinjahal

Week 1355: a $23,000 maiden race in Tasmania.

Week 1642: Eclipse Award Winner, Champion 2yo Turf Filly

The humble beginnings gave little away about was lay in store in 2002 for Bogweasel’s homebred daughter of Delaware Township. Well supported, she started at 6-1CF and did not let her supporters down, scoring in good style over the extended 5 furlong trip.

However, while most juvenile’s spent the majority of their season wrapped up in cotton wool, off the racetrack for several weeks at a time, Delaware Statue rose above the rest. A fighter by nature, she came out, just one week after breaking her maiden on her debut, to score in a modest Allowance against experienced performers and improve upon her original Speed Figure by 10 points!

Stepped up to 6f for her next start, the novice filly faced competition from eighteen others, all vying for a share of the $90,000 purse on offer. Once again, she ran her heart out, failing beating all but one of her rivals and again improving her Speed Figure by a further 10 points.

She returned to New South Wales, the scene of her first defeat on her next outing, again in Stakes company. But this time she faced an even tougher assignment: Tackling 1 mile for the first time, in soft conditions and drawn wide in stall 15 in the maximum field of 20. Once again the performance was electrifying. Despite finding one too good, she made light of her wide berth and improved her speed figure further still. This was one tough filly. In four starts she had defeated 72 horses and was yet to finish out of the front two!

She finally broke her duct at Stakes level, when sent of a red-hot favourite on her European debut. Facing a mere 7 rivals that day, she coasted home at her own pace to scoop the $39,000 first prize. But even at this stage, she was no champion. Her big break came in the High Flyer Stakes (G1), Ireland’s richest 2yo race. The premier 1 mile juvenile event in Europe and open to both colts and fillies. Sent off at 9-1 the only filly in the contest made her male counterparts sweat as she took the race by the scruff of the neck to lead the field of 8 for much of the way. In the end only one horse could pass her; Delaware Statue was now a force to be reckoned with.

Making a quick return in the Grade 2 Manofjunk Stakes, “The Statue” found just one of her 14 male rivals too good, going down by an ever dwindling ¼L at the end of the 8.5f affair and posting what was a career best Speed Figure in the process.

Bogweasel wisely avoided taking his star inmate on a trek across the Atlantic to be dazzled by the bright lights and hype of the Breeders Bowl. Instead the high earning filly enjoyed a fine run in Ireland’s established 2yo championship event, The Graduation Stakes (G1). Once again starting prominently, she was foiled close home after leading for three-quarters of the 8.5f heat. It is testimony to her outstanding record in 2002 that this third place finish in a Grade 1, proved to be her worst finishing position of the season.

Stepped up to 9f, for the first time, she travelled to Hong Kong for The Apparently Juvenile (G3) on her final start of the year. It also proved to be her fastest performance of the year and possibly what clinched her the Eclipse Award title. Once again facing the colts, her eight male rivals were stunned by the front running tactics of the bogweasel inmate, that she was a whopping 11 lengths clear entering the stretch! Eased down at the line, she coasted home unchallenged, earning a lifetime high Speed Figure (104) and cementing her place as the greatest turf juvenile of her generation. Delaware Statue, 2002 2yo Filly (Turf) Eclipse Award Champion!

Race ID	Trk	RST	S	D	Race	Time	SP#	#	PP	C1	C2	C3	FIN	Jockey	Odds
1593.6015	HK	2yo	T	9	Apparently Juvenile -G3	1:49 1/5	104	9	2	1 5	1 8-3/4	1 11	1 4-1/4	M Goldsbury	4.00
1558.5915	IR	F-2yo	T	8.5	Graduation Stakes -G1	1:43 4/5	88	14	7	1 1/2	1 1-1/4	1 1-1/4	3 5-3/4	P Jenkins	3.40
1537.3315	E1	2yo	T	8.5	Manofjunk Stakes -G2	1:44	93	14	2	2 1	2 1-1/2	2 1-1/4	2 1/4	S Lucas	5.00
1509.5915	IR	2yo	T	8	High Flyer Stakes -G1	1:36 1/5	92	14	8	1 1-1/4	1 2-3/4	1 3/4	2 3-1/2	D Lee	9.50
1474.5708	SP	2yo	T	8	The NEARCO Special -Stk	1:38 3/5	74	7	7	2 1/2	2 3/4	2 1/4	1 1/2	G Carter	1.30
1446.5415	A2	2yo	T	8	Champagne Stakes Turf -- Owner Restricted -Stk	1:36 4/5	88	20	15	1 1-1/4	1 2	1 1/2	2 2-1/2	T Jones	5.20
1397.5413	A2	2yo	T	6	-- Owner Restricted -Stk	1:11	85	19	12	1 ns	1 1/2	1 3/4	2 1-1/2	S Smelt	6.70
1362.8003	Z1	F-2yo	T	5.5	Alw-14800NW2x		76	9	1	2 hd	2 ns	1 1/2	1 1-1/2	V Perriman	6.10
1355.6703	TZ	F-2yo	T	5.5	MSW-19600	1:05 3/5	66	14	1	1 1	1 2	1 2-3/4	1 3-1/4	B J Bergen	6.50