Delaware Park horses to watch: June 23, 2018

by | Jun 23, 2018 | Breaking, DE Racing, Delaware, Racing

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

by Frank Vespe

Delaware Park has a nine-race Saturday card, and post time is 1:15 p.m. There are three allowance tests on the card, which ends with two Arabian races. Some horses to watch:

Race 5 – Allowance/optional claiming

  • Fillies and mares three and up will go 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf in a first-level allowance with an optional claiming tag of $16,000.
  • #4 Eighty Six Mets (5-1) owns a win at the trip at Delaware Park, and the Kelly Rubley trainee’s last might be better than it looks. She faded to sixth after being steadied and rank early. But note her opponents: Peach of a Gal returned to be third in the Hilltop Stakes at Pimlico and then win the Christiana Stakes at Laurel, while Ghoul’s Night Out returned to win an allowance. This filly is stakes-placed and has been working well since that last start; look for an improved effort here with Carol Cedeno in the irons.
  • #5 Well Acquainted (6-1) will try the turf for the first time in her star-crossed career; the Augustin Stables homebred, now five years old, has made just four career starts and was off from late 2015 until this past April. But she broke her maiden two back, and a switch to the green stuff might be a good move; her half-sister Fugitive Angel was a graded stakes winner on the turf.
  • Selections: 4-5-1

 

Race 6 – Allowance

  • Three-year-olds and up that have never won two races will go six furlongs on the main track.
  • #1 Speightsford (3-1) hasn’t done much wrong thus far in two 2018 starts. The Ben Perkins, Jr. trainee just missed against Monmouth maidens May 5 and then returned to action with an easy win at Delaware Park to graduate. The Speightstown colt shows a bullet work since her maiden score and will have Carol Cedeno in the irons.
  • #7 Sparticle (2-1), though at three a year younger, cuts a similar profile. He broke his maiden two back against pricey claiming sorts at Keeneland and then returned to be second against similar here locally. Mario Pino, who rode him last out, will do so again, this time for trainer Mike Pino.
  • Selections: 7-1-2

 

Race 7 – Allowance/optional claiming

  • Three-year-olds and up will go 1 1/16 miles on the turf in a second-level allowance with an optional claiming tag of $25,000.
  • #6 Adonis Creed (5-1) spent most of his sophomore season last year toiling in stakes company, a ledger  that included a second and a third locally, the latter in the Grade 3 Kent. The Brad Cox trainee has been working well towards this one, which is his season debut, with three bullet moves among his works. Carol Cedeno will ride.
  • #12 Dothat Dance (15-1) was outfooted last out sprinting, but there’s no reason he can’t improve stretched out to a preferred route distance. The Louis Quatorze gelding doesn’t win much — just three times in 27 starts — but often finds his way into the triple. He also was fifth, though beaten less than a length, in last year’s Maryland Million Turf. Trainer Phil Schoenthal will leg up Keiber Coa.
  • Selections: 6-4-12-7

ARABIAN WATCH

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

Saturday’s race 8 and 9 are both for the Arabians at a distance of one mile. Race 8 is open and race 9 is for fillies and mares.

Race 8

In race 8, Mystical MHF should like the added distance. (He actually needs more than a mile, but maybe he can get going a little more quickly.) Cre Run Farm’s Jimdandy Totherehessq and Mark Powell’s Lil Dude AA are both coming off wins and will be the likely favorites. Cre Run and Lynn Ashby can do no wrong so far this meet, and Mark Powell’s horses are starting to
heat up as well. Madjikman is making his first start of 2018, but he finished in the top three in 7 out of 10 starts last year. He could easy have another top three finish. Interestingly enough, the mare Risky Red is entered here instead of on Sunday against her own sex.

Race 9

Race 9 is very competitive, and no horse in the field would be a surprise winner. RB Kinkie Boots is coming off a good win in her last start. Tiffanys Dream, with Carol Cedeno aboard, had a good second in her last start and could be a winner. With a third last time out, Daze Of Awe is starting to look more like the filly that broke her maiden so impressively. Last Call MHF, who finished second at 1 1/8 miles in a grade 1 last year, should like the added distance of this race.