Delaware Park horses to watch: July 26

by | Jul 26, 2017 | Breaking, DE Racing, Delaware, Racing | 3 comments

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

by Frank Vespe

There are eight races on the docket at Delaware Park today, and first post is 1:15 p.m. Some horses to watch:

  • The second race is a $34,000 maiden special weight going six furlongs on the main track. Perhaps the most intriguing runner here is Gold Beach (3-1). The Larry Jones-trained sophomore Tapit filly is making her second career start after running fifth on debut when stumbling at the start. But, notably, she entered that race having run off four consecutive bullet works — catching the eye of the DelPark clocker — and was absolutely pounded at the windows, going off at 3-5 odds. She posted another sharp work July 20, and if she’s going to pay off that fancy stud fee — Tapit stands for $300,000 — this would be a good spot to start.
  • In the fifth, a $36,000 allowance going 1 1/16 miles on the turf, a couple of lightly raced sorts look like they have some potential. Arnaud Delacour trainee Douglas Road (9-2) was third in his debut, at Keeneland, before breaking his maiden June 12 at Delaware Park, posting a front-running score. The runner-up and show horse that day graduated in their next starts. He’ll break from the inside stall; nearly all the way outside — in the eight-hole — is Belgian (8-1), a Michael Stidham trainee who broke his maiden, in an off-the-turf race, last out in his second start. He ran second in his debut, at Pimlico, and each of the top three finishers from that race won their next start with winner Just Howard taking the Caveat Stakes at Laurel Park. Belgian is a half-brother to graded stakes winner Easter Gift, who earned nearly $700,000 in his career.

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There are no Arabian races today at Delaware.