Delaware Park horses to watch: June 19

by | Jun 19, 2017 | Breaking, DE Racing, Delaware, Racing

Off at Delaware Park. Photo © www.HoofprintsInc.com.

by Frank Vespe

Delaware Park has a pretty nice card lined up today, with a maiden special weight test for two-year-olds and a pair of allowance events on tap. Post time for the card is 1:15.

Here are a couple of horses we’ll be watching:

  • Omen of Change (10-1 morning line, race 2) — Sagamore Farm dropped $210,000 to get this Midnight Lute colt, who makes his debut in this $34,000 maiden special weight test, a race whose complexion has changed dramatically with the scratch of 7-5 morning line favorite Trickizar. Trainer Horacio De Paz has a solid record (and postive ROI) with horses making their career debuts. One fact of note: Omen of Change has been training at Laurel Park, but De Paz passed on a maiden event there on Saturday to show up here. Astute trainer looking for an easier spot — or trainer not too confident with his horse? We may know the answer by 2:00 this afternoon.
  • Hermans Gold (6-1, race 2) — New sire Freedom Child — his eldest are two-year-olds this year — had his first winner Saturday when Limited View won a maiden race at Laurel. Here’s a chance for another, this one trained by John Robb, who’s been known to do well with two-year-olds.
  • Quick Release (6-1, 8th race) — This Mike Dini trainee was last seen running up the track in the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks last September and enjoyed her best result when finishing third in the 2016 edition of the Grade 3 Miss Preakness. This race, a second-level allowance, will be just her second career start on turf and first ever turf sprint. It’s always a question how horses will respond off a nine-month layoff, but do note that three of her five works in preparation were bullets (and in the other two, she recorded the second-fastest time at the distance).