Delaware Park horses to watch: September 2

by | Sep 2, 2017 | Breaking, DE Racing, Delaware, Racing

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

by Frank Vespe

There’s a 10-race card at Delaware Park Saturday afternoon, with the finale the Buzz Brauninger Arabian Distaff Handicap. Post time is 1:15 p.m. Some horses to watch:

  • The sixth race is a $36,000 allowance for fillies and mares three and up going six furlongs on the main track, and the question we may start to get an answer to in this race is, “Is Goiaba (5-1) an emerging star?” The daughter of Speightstown, a half-sister to G3 winner Sacristy, made her debut July 23 at Laurel Park and made it a flashy one, rallying from fifth in a six-horse field to to win going away by over six lengths. It’s fair to question what was behind her that day; the place and show horses are a combined 0-for-12 in their careers, and Goiaba was 3-5. But she won the way a 3-5 shot should and was a bit green in doing it; she still has plenty of improvement in her. She’s showing four works in the interim, including a bullet five furlongs August 22. Trainer Arnaud Delacour will leg up Daniel Centeno.

ARABIAN WATCH

Arabian handicapping is provided by our friends at Arabian Finish Line.

For the Arabians today, it is the $45,000 Buzz Brauninger Arabian Distaff H. (Gr.1). This is the only grade 1 race for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up in the U.S. and is contested at a distance of 1 1/8 miles. The field is stellar – and tough – featuring the best mares in the U.S. Ivory Shores obviously loves this track and is a standout. Pams Masquerade got the better of many of the horses in the field in her last start. She basically never runs a bad race – she has had a top-3 finish in 16 of 19 lifetime starts. Sweet Honey AA is coming off a strong victory in the Cre Run Arabian Oaks (G2) and once again has leading rider Carol Cedeno aboard. There is a shipper from California – Dream Pearl – last year’s Darley Champion Older Mare. It’s hard to know how she’ll take to the track. If she likes it she will be tough, but if we get the forecasted rain and it’s an off track, maybe not. She’s used to running on the hard California tracks. It’s going to be a good race.