Delaware Park horses to watch: June 27, 2018
by Frank Vespe
Delaware Park has a hefty 10-race card on tap for June 27, all for Thoroughbreds. Post time is 1:15 p.m. Some horses to watch:
Race 4 – Maiden claiming
- Three-year-olds and up will go about 1 1/2 miles on the turf with a claiming tag of $40,000 down to $30,000.
- #3 Run Forrest (20-1) figures to be ignored by the betting public, and for good reason: the Jimmy Day trainee has been crushed twice on the dirt at Charles Town, including at the $10,000 claiming level. But heck — this Irish-bred ought to love getting on the grass for the first time in a race, and he’s certainly bred to love this lengthy trip. His sire, Watar, was a European Group winner at distances as far as 1 mile 7 furlongs. Luis Rodriguez is named.
- Selections: 3-8-5-9
Race 5 – Maiden special weight
- Three-year-olds and up will go 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track.
- #4 Candy Cane Lane (6-1) will make his debut in this spot for trainer Greg Sacco. The Candy Ride gelding was a $110,000 purchase last April by Red Oak Stable and has been training well enough at his Monmouth Park base towards his debut here. Jose Ferrer is named. He’ll need to overcome the place and show horses from a June 4 maiden event here, among others.
- Selections: 6-4-1
Race 6 – Maiden special weight
- Fillies and mares three and up will go about 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf.
- #5 Silla Manila (5-1) will be making her sixth career start here, and as a general rule, we have a tough time betting maidens with a bunch of failures on their resume. But this miss gave a fine accounting of herself last out when running second to Frippery in her first turf try beyond six furlongs, and that runner returned to be a good second at long odds in the Christiana Stakes. Feargal Lynch is scheduled to be up for trainer Tom Proctor.
- Selections: 5-7-2
Race 9 – Allowance/optional claiming
- Three-year-old fillies will go six furlongs in an allowance for horses that have never won twice with an optional claiming tag of $50,000.
- If you draw a line through her last, #1 Yes I Dance (4-1) more than fits here, and that’s not an illogical thing to do; plenty of horses have not liked the Parx racing strip over the years but run well elsewhere and she also had to contend with a sloppy strip for the first time in a race. Regular pilot Arnaldo Bocachica makes the trip in for this John Carlisle trainee who has won two of four starts, and the rail post doesn’t seem likely to be a hindrance; she’ll be gunning for the lead anyway.
- Selections: 1-5-3
ARABIAN WATCH
Arabian handicapping is provided by our friends at Arabian Finish Line.