Royal Delta defends title in BC Ladies' Classic

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) - Royal Delta defended her title in the $2 million Ladies' Classic, giving jockey Mike Smith a record 16th Breeders' Cup victory on Friday at Santa Anita.

Smith moved past fellow Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey.

Royal Delta took the early lead and dug in gamely, holding off My Miss Aurelia by 1 1/2 lengths. The time was 1:48.80 for the 1 1-8 miles.

Royal Delta, trained by Bill Mott, paid $5.40, $3.60 and $2.60 as the 8-5 favorite. My Miss Aurelia, 6 for 6 coming in, returned $5.80 and $4, while Include Me Out paid $5.20.