Delaware Park horses to watch: September 21

by | Sep 21, 2017 | Breaking, DE Racing, Delaware, Racing

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

by Frank Vespe

Delaware Park’s eight-race Thursday card is capped off by a maiden claimer for Arabians. Scheduled post time is 1:15 p.m. Some horses to watch:

  • In the fourth, a six-furlong maiden special weight test for three-year-olds and up, there are a couple of intriguing runners. Connected Fitness (2-1) is the morning line favorite for trainer Horacio De Paz and Sagamore Farm, though she showed little on debut at Keeneland and shows just a single work since April. She was well bet that day and showed speed before stopping, but it’s a little tough to take short odds, given her debut. Expect Wonderful (3-1) ran willingly last out to be third behind Americana, who repeated Wednesday afternoon, and she gets Alex Cintron up today. We’re most intrigued, though, by Mining for Candy (10-1), a Mineshaft filly making her career debut for Charles Town-based trainer Larry Curtis. Curtis hasn’t started a horse at Delaware in 2017, started only one here last year, and didn’t start any in ’15. So why here? Hard to know, but she’s been training forwardly, and Curtis has a 37 percent strike rate with debut runners at a positive ROI, and CT rider Jose Montano comes in to do the honors.
  • Let’s take another swing in the seventh, a first-level allowance going a mile over the grass. Sound Off (8-1) has made only two starts on the grass, and while neither was spectacular, they weren’t bad, either. Two back, at Delaware, the Congrats colt’s late run was compromised by a slow pace that left the early types with plenty of energy late and last out, at Saratoga — well, you can tell the quality of that field by this one’s 80-1 odds. And he still managed to be sixth of 12 that day. He should appreciate the easier company here and seems likely to have a livelier pace to run at than that two-back try. Jomar Torres is up.

ARABIAN WATCH

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

The Arabian race today is a six-furlong maiden claiming race with six entries. For the most part, these horses have been running unplaced in the maiden ranks all season. It’s time for another one to get that elusive win. Sabres Edge has a second and two thirds from eight starts this year. Maybe today is the day? RB Wicked Rich is a very well-bred filly. The cross (by Darley Horse of the Year TH Richie out of a daughter of leading sire Burning Sand) has been a successful one. She has three thirds in seven starts and could be in the top three. However in this race, anything goes and any of the horses may step up today.