by Doug McCoy
GRADE 2 DELAWARE OAKS
3YO FILLIES, 1 MILE AND 1/16
The Oaks drew a field of eight and includes a perfect mix of speed rivals and late-running types. FORTUNE PEARL has picked her game up a notch since shipping north from Florida, winning an optional allowance route at Pimlico in eye-catching fashion then finishing third, beaten just three lengths in the g2 Black-Eyed Susan. While speed ratings aren’t all-encompassing factors, Fortune Pearl’s 84 and 80 Beyer speed numbers for her last two starts are far superior to her earlier ratings. We don’t see any :49 half mile clockings in this Oaks, and the quicker and more contentious the pace, the better the chances for Fortune Pearl…
JOINT RETURN had a trip from hell in the Black Eyed Susan when her rider lost his right iron at the break, then she was forced to loop the field through the second turn before winding up fourth, less then two lengths back of Fortune Pearl. She has the all important trip over the track under her belt, is as honest as they come, and is another whose chances improve the faster they go early on. A win from her would certainly not be a shock…
PIXIE DUST jumps up a good bit in class and tries more distance but figures to get the perfect cat-bird’s seat trip inside under Cintron, who rides the Delaware main track as well as anybody around. This one could round out some juicy exotics at a very healthy price.
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GRADE 3 ROBERT DICK MEMORIAL STAKES
FILLIES AND MARES 3YO AND UP, 1 MILE AND 3/8 TURF
The Robert Dick is another of those turf marathons that confound and confuse the bettor. AIGUE MARINE, from the barn of turf master Christophe Clement, has been keeping the classiest company and while she has but a single win from seven starts since coming to this country in 2012, she’s been close often and was just nipped in the final strides of the Grade III Bewitched at Keeneland last out. Oddly enough, she’s been beaten in three of her races by Inimitable Romance, a Graham Motion runner who has won three of her last five starts. We give Aigue Marine the nod in a wide-open affair…
Speaking of Motion, he has a trio in the Dick and the best of that trifecta could be CONCISE, who comes into this one off a front-running win over allowance company going 10 furlongs on the turf at Belmont. She was beaten less than two lengths in the Grade I Garden City and was in a four horse photo in the Grade II Lake Placid at Saratoga. Concise rarely runs a poor race and if this turns into a jogathon like so many of the marathon distance races do, she could lead from flagfall to finish…
MODERNSTONE hasn’t caught firm footing in two U.S. starts, but if Hurricane Arthur stays off shore far enough, she should get firm footing and could give bettors a rarity, a live Bill Mott runner in a stake race at a generous price.
