Until today, that is. With a big late move on the outside, Rising Bella rallied to win this afternoon’s $50,000 Peach Blossom Stakes for Delaware-bred or -certified fillies and mares at Delaware Park.

The win, her first stakes triumph, gave her four wins in 14 career starts and pushed her earnings to $137,196. The win today was her second consecutive victory.

Rising Bella, a daughter of Munnings, was bred in Maryland by Timothy Rooney. She began her racing career in the colors of Mark Esposito’s Black Cloud Stable but was claimed from a January 2020 start for $35,000 by owner Lowell Kinch and trainer Steve Klesaris, who continue to race her.

In today’s contest, Rising Bella settled early under jockey Carol Cedeno, running in fifth and sixth through the early fractions in a compact group. Through a half-mile in 47.64 seconds on firm turf, none of the eight runners was more than 4 1/4 lengths from the front.

Rounding the far turn, Cedeno steered Rising Bella out five and six wide, and once clear and straightened away, she kicked home nicely to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Mosalah, who put a head in front in mid-stretch but could not contain the winner, held second under J. D. Acosta, another length-and-a-half in front of show horse Buff’s in Love.

Rising Bella paid $6.60 to win and topped an exacta that returned $19.30 on a one-dollar wager.

As for Micheline, she’s the 5-2 morning line favorite in Saturday’s Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial Stakes at Delaware Park.