Sassy Emma Another Debut Winner for Cupid

It was another debut winner for Cupid on Saturday when Sassy Emma (2f Cupid x Gray Delta, by Bernstein) won a Delta Downs Maiden Special Weight.

Racing over five furlongs on the dirt, the juvenile filly took up pacesetting duties out of the gate and didn’t feel much pressure in the early stages.

That changed when Perpetuate engaged her in a duel down the stretch with the pair pulling farther and farther away from the field. Sassy Emma showed she was the more determined runner when keeping her head in front at the line with the third placed horse 6 ¼ lengths behind them.

Bred by Donarra Thoroughbreds, the filly had put in multiple strong breezes in preparation for this start, including a bullet work last month. She is trained by Bernard Chatters for P.T. Thoroughbreds, LLC.

Sassy Emma is the third winner from three to race out of Grey Delta, who is a half-sister to four winners out of the winning Runaway Groom mare Noite. Sassy Emma’s third dam is the stakes-placed Iman and her fourth the stakes placed Captivant.

Captivant produced five stakes performers with four of her daughters also producing stakes horses.

Sassy Emma is the 12th winner for Cupid, whose first crop includes two stakes winners and three stakes performers overall. Both stakes numbers put him in the top 10 of all North American freshman sires.