CROWN Queen, a half-sister to champion Royal Delta, earned her first Grade I victory with a sparkling late run in the $500,000 Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup over the Keeneland turf last Saturday.

With John Velazquez aboard, Crown Queen swept past pacesetter Sea Queen in the drive and held off Ball Dancing by three-quarters of a length. Sistas Stroll and Personal Diary finished the nine furlong test in a dead-heat for third place.

Crown Queen is trained by Bill Mott, who also conditioned Royal Delta, for owner Besilu Stables. The three-year-old daughter of Smart Strike out of the A.P. Indy mare Delta Princess, was a $1.6 million purchase from Chanteclair Farm’s consignment in the Palides dispersal at the 2011 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

“We ran her a couple of times as a two-year-old, and (owner) Mr (Ben) Leon wanted to give her some time over the winter to mature and grow up a little bit. It’s worked out perfectly. He made a good call, and she’s undefeated this season and now she’s a Grade 1 stakes winner,” Mott said.

“It was a very special win for me since I trained her mother (Delta Princess) and her grandmother (Lyphard’s Delta) and a lot of the family (including multiple champion Royal Delta). It’s a very meaningful win for me.”

As for a potential start in the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf on November 1st at Santa Anita, Mott said the decision is yet to be made.