P. Dale Ladner’s Alva Starr will be returning home with an opportunity to go over the $1 million career earnings mark in the $100,000 Rehoboth Stakes at Delaware Park Wednesday, June 5.

A field of ten has been entered in the six-furlong event for fillies and mares which is the local prep for $125,000 Dashing Beauty Stakes to be run on Delaware Handicap Day – Sunday, July 7.

In her most recent, Alva Starr finished second in the seven-furlong, Grade I Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs on May 4.  Previously, the 4-year-old daughter of Lord Nelson won the seven-furlong, Grade I Madison at Keeneland on April 6.  In her only other outing this year, the Kentucky-bred conditioned by Brett Brinkman posted a 3 ½-length score in the American Beauty at Oaklawn on February 3. 

The Rehoboth Stakes was in the right place at the right time on the calendar for Alva Starr.

“The Derby City Distaff was not originally on our schedule,” said trainer Brett Brinkman.  “We were going to run in the Madison and then we were going to pick up from there and go in a different direction.  When she came out of the Madison as good as she did, the Derby City was staring us right in the face, but it put me in a timeframe of not being able to make the race we had planned in running her.  We are in a position now where we have to do something to get her back on schedule and this race fits.  We are at Delaware with some horses, she really likes the racetrack, she needs a little more than $30,000 to make her a millionaire and most importantly, it puts us back in the time cycle for her to get back for her next race.” 

Brinkman is going to keep his options open with her, but right now the Rehoboth is the likely next race for the filly who broke her maiden at Delaware Park in 2022 before posting a career record five wins and four seconds from nine starts with earnings of $968,450.

“I am nominating her to the Grade II at Aqueduct (Bed o’ Roses on June 15),” trainer Brett Brinkman said.  “Right now, the thought process is that race is going to be the backup and we are mostly likely going to the Rehoboth.”

Reaching the million-dollar career earnings mark is an important goal for her connections and doing it at the track where she won her first stake, the Dashing Beauty, would make the occasion even more special.

“We own the family,” Brinkman said.  “We own the mother and we own the sisters and we feel like having a millionaire in the family means something.  We want to get that under our belts.  She has shown an affinity for Delaware.  When she won the Dashing Beauty at Delaware last year, we felt like that spring boarded her into Saratoga really well.”

After winning the Dashing Beauty last year, she posted her first graded stakes victory in the six-furlong Prioress at Saratoga.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST OFF TO THE RACES RADIO!