Delaware Park horses to watch: August 28

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

by Frank Vespe

Delaware Park’s 10-race Monday card is highlighted by a pair of high-quality maiden races for juveniles and a first-level allowance. Post time is 1:15 p.m. Some horses to watch:

• Race six is a $34,000 maiden special weight for two-year-olds going 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track, and it’s certainly drawn an interesting group of runners. Fox Hill Farms paid $150,000 to get their hands on Valiantly (7-2), an Orb colt out of the multiple stakes-placed Street Cry mare Wallstreeter. Valiantly has been training forwardly towards his debut here and gets Brian Pedroza in the irons. But he’ll have to contend with the Lacey Gaudet-trained Clouded Judgement (9-2), who did absolutely everything right but win in his debut when run down late to be second to the promising V. I. P. Code. Clouded Judgement is a Roddy Harrison homebred by Awesome Patriot. Also in here is Qaunico (12-1), a firster trained by Jim Cronk who caught the clocker’s eye with his half-mile move August 14.
• The eighth is another maiden event, this one for two-year-olds going a mile on the main track. The morning line favorite is Hail to the King (3-1) for trainer John Servis; this runner was fourth on debut behind the promising Mike Stidham trainee Supreme Aura. But more intriguing still are a pair of firsters. Lemonade Thursday (8-1), a Lemon Drop Kid colt trained by win machine Arnaud Delacour, was a $250,000 auction purchase for Mark Grier. He’s out of the multiple stakes-winning Malibu Moon mare Alec’s Moon and has been firing morning bullets. Even more costly was Believe in Royalty (8-1), a Tapit colt out of Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can, by Proud Citizen. Believe in Royalty, trained by top conditioner Larry Jones, cost his ownership group $900,000 at Keeneland last September. He’ll have to overcome the wide post but has talented rider Brian Pedroza up.