“I got into it for the trophy,” David Alcaro said Saturday following the Endine Stakes at Delaware Park.

The only problem: up until today, he was trophyless.

Alcaro got into racing in a serious way in 2022, but up until today, his operation – Chief Horse Futures LLC – had won a handful of races but none in stakes company.

Striker Has Dial snapped that streak today, living up to her role as the 3-5 favorite in a four-horse field and delivering a hard-fought neck victory over the hard-trying Alani. Give that man a trophy.

“It feels incredible,” Alcaro said.

A four-year-old filly by Dialed In, Striker Has Dial cost Alcaro $180,000 at auction as a yearling. She’s now won four of 14 starts while building a bankroll of more than $363,000.

“I started in 2022, buying three yearlings at the Keeneland sale with Case Clay,” Alcaro said. “This is one of the first, and she’s been so much fun. She finally broke through. She’s had a couple seconds in stakes, and then finally broke through with the winner and got the right track for her.”

Striker Has Dial, a winner at first asking at Laurel Park in May of her sophomore season, ran in the Wilton at Saratoga in her third career start, leading late before settling for second. In May of this year, following a couple of New York allowance wins, she ran second again, this time in the Skipat at Pimlico behind the Grade 2 winner Zeitlos.

She’s been in Horacio De Paz’s barn throughout her career, and since De Paz entered the day 0-for-4 at the meet, it was a good time for him to get on the board, as well.

“I want to compete. I love the sport,” Alcaro said. “I want to do it right, and that’s why I picked Horacio as my trainer. I wanted someone who’s going to treat the horses right. We were really patient with her, and she’s rewarded us with a lot of fun.”

In a dozen main track outings, Striker Has Dial has finished in the top three 11 times.

Under top local pilot Jaime Rodriguez, Striker Has Dial was away alertly and quickly established the lead while taking heat from Alani, with Andy Hernandez up. Sunday Girl was third, and recent Shine Again Stakes winner Discreet Ops rounded out the field, and though no one knew it at the time, there would be no change in the running order the rest of the way.

Striker Has Dial stopped the timer in 1:11.35 for six furlongs on a fast main track. She was a neck better than Alani, who in turn was five ahead of show horse Sunday Girl. Discreet Ops rounded out the field. Admiral Hopper and Happy Clouds were scratched.

Striker Has Dial paid $3.20 to win and topped an exacta, with the second choice, that returned $2.90 for a one-dollar wager.

As for Alcaro, a lifelong racing fan – “Going to the OTB when I turned 18 was a rite of passage,” he said — he was going to have to delay the celebration of his first stakes win because he had a flight to catch. To Ireland. To watch another of his horses run in a stake at the Curragh.

“A race like today really helps the bottom line,” the owner said. “But you can’t put a price on the experience.”