Delaware Park horses to watch: June 21, 2018

by | Jun 21, 2018 | Breaking, DE Racing, Delaware, Racing

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

by Frank Vespe

Delaware Park has a nine-race card on tap for Thursday, and post time is 1:15 p.m. The card includes a couple of maiden special weight tests and ends with an Arabian race. Some horses to watch:

Race 3 – Maiden special weight

  • Two-year-old maidens will go five furlongs on the main track.
  • Talk about being flattered! #4 Tybalt (3-1) was a good closing second in his debut, falling three parts of a length short of winner Our Braintrust. It was a perfectly useful debut that got to looking a lot better  a couple weeks back, when Our Braintrust rallied to win the $150,000 Tremont Stakes at Belmont Park. The Claudio Gonzalez-trained son of Kitten’s Joy has been training forwardly since that May 3 debut, and he fired a bullet half-mile in 47 3/5 seconds on June 13 in his final work prior to this race. The added half-furlong here figures to play to this one’s advantage, too. Kevin Gomez will ride.
  • #1 Crypto Currency (6-1) comes from the Anthony Pecoraro barn, which is two-for-two with first-time starters at the meet. The Congrats colt has been training well towards his debut here and will have at least one advantage over #4: he’ll be running on his home track and won’t have to ship. Jeremy Rose has the mount.
  • Selections: 4-1-7

 

Race 5 – Maiden special weight

  • Fillies and mares three and up will run 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track.
  • #2 Divine Quality (9-5) has been training forwardly towards her debut her for trainer Tom Proctor. A Divine Park filly, she is out of the Include mare Quality Included. She’s fired several morning bullets to date, including a half-mile in 47 2/5 on June 12. And she has a six-furlong work under her belt on June 4, which suggests she’ll be fit and ready to roll today. Trevor McCarthy will ride.
  • #1a Baccarat Fashion (6-1) has three recorded works, two of them bullets. An Old Fashioned filly, she was a $32,000 auction purchase from the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2017 two-year-old sale by owners Baccarat Racing. Trainer Bruno Tessore will leg up Jorge Ruiz.
  • Selections: 2-6-1a

ARABIAN WATCH

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

Race 9

To close out the day, there is an Arabian claiming race at a distance of 6 furlongs. Pinewood Stable’s RB Hocus Pocus has raced in Grade 1 competition, but his two seconds from four starts this year have been in allowance and claiming company. We would expect to see him in the top three. The entry of owner/trainer Mark Powell will get some play, mostly because of Big Cork who has five top three finishes out of seven starts this year. The other half of the entry, Zephyr CS, has not raced in nearly a year and will likely need a start.