The Brad Mowbray-trained pacer scored a narrow victory in the feature after an epic home-straight duel with the favourite, Royal Bengal.
The 4yr-old defied drizzly conditions to post a Roxburgh track record for mares from the 2700m standing start.
Her 3.25.0 winning time came in what was her first win past 2200m.
Mowbray had no concerns about his mare’s staying prowess going into the race as she had run fourth in last season’s Southland Oaks, and said she had mixed it with the country’s best in a brutally run New Zealand Oaks.
Rewind back one year and two days ago and the trainer did not think he had a quality staying mare on his hands.
Then, Delishka produced a gritty performance to sit parked and win her maiden at Omakau.
"No, I wouldn’t have thought we would be back here in a year winning a cup race. But she is just like her mother. She is one of those horses that just gets that wee bit better with every start," Mowbray said.
"Even before she raced, I had some top drivers drive her at the trials and they all said no, not for me."
Delishka is by Bettor’s Delight from Balishka, a seven-race winner for Mowbray.
Go two more lines back in the mare’s pedigree and there were signs a Roxburgh Cup win was not out of Delishka’s reach.
Her great-grand dam, Wee Donna, won the 1982 edition of the race for trainer-driver Maurice Kerr.
As well as signalling her progression as a pacer, Delishka earned herself a short break with her win. After that, Mowbray will consider her future racing options.
Earlier on the Roxburgh card, the Mark Jones-trained-and-driven Liberty Belle went from the naughty corner to the winner’s podium. Liberty Belle veered out in the home straight in her last start at Gore, throwing away any winning chance she had and causing chaos for the horses around her.
In contrast, she looked like a seasoned professional in an impressive victory in race 4.
The Mach Three filly sat parked for the entire 2180m contest, leaving her rivals absolutely no excuses.
Jones, who has been in hot form in the sulky recently, may have been the difference that helped Gunpowder win race 10.
The ever-consistent pacer is a regular placegetter but often meets one or two horses who beat him at the finish.
Jones made sure that did not happen yesterday with a confident drive on the Peter Robertson-trained pacer.
Former naughty boy Playboy’s Brother was again on his best behaviour yesterday.
The trotter, trained at Oamaru by Colin McKay, has put a long sequence of starts in which he has made mistakes behind him by winning back-to-back races on the Central Otago summer circuit. Playboy’s Brother trotted to a freewheeling win at Omakau on Tuesday and then backed it up with a trailing win in race 5 yesterday.
