DelCap undercard: Golden Brown logs Kent upset
Golden Brown won the Kent Stakes. Photo by Allison Janezic.
by Frank Vespe
Score one for the Jersey-breds.
New Jersey-bred Golden Brown, making just his second start on turf, surged to a 1 3/4 length victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Kent Stakes for three-year-olds at Delaware Park.
Bettors dismissed the Offlee Wild colt, sending him and jockey Jairo Rendon off at 15-1, dubious of his lone prior start on the lawn, when second in a Jersey-bred stake. But the winner of that stake, Irish Strait, is a Grade 3 winner of over $300,000; there was no shame in running a good second to him.
“We looked at the Thorograph numbers, and he stacked up within a couple of points of the best horses,” trainer Pat McBurney said.
So they took a shot. Rendon had his mount up close to the early pace set by Archaggelos, but then he found himself shuffled back to fifth entering the far turn before Rendon was able to get him clear sailing on the outside for the win.
Next up, McBurney said, “We hope to find something at Saratoga if he comes out of this good and is good enough.”
Golden Brown was bred by Esther de Jong and is owned by a group that includes ABL Stable and others. He now has three wins and earnings in excess of $200,000 from seven career starts.
Running time for the 1 1/8 miles on firm turf was 1:48.06. Hot Springs, from the Steve Asmussen barn, was second, and the Tom Morley-trained Carrick was third. Untamed Domain, the favorite trained by Graham Motion, had a tough trip and wound up sixth in the eight-horse field.
PRINCE OF HEMPT HANGS ON IN HANFORD
The pace was fast early in Saturday’s $50,000 Carl Hanford Memorial Stakes on the Delaware Handicap undercard. Twocubanbrothersu was flying on the front end, and favored Hoffenheim was pressing him.
That left Prince of Hempt, just behind and outside of them, sitting in the catbird seat, and the four-year-old Pennsylvania-bred took full advantage, grabbing the lead after three-quarters of a mile, denying a bid from longshot Monongahela, and going on to win by a half-length.
It was the fifth win, and second in stakes company, from six career starts for Prince of Hempt, a Majestic Warrior gelding trained by Tim Kreiser, who now has earnings in excess of $200,000.
Monongahela, off at 31-1, dawdled in the rear of the field under Jevian Toledo before rallying stoutly on the outside. He actually put a head in front leaving the furlong grounds before tiring to a clear second. Name Changer, fifth early, rallied into third.
Running time for the 1 1/16 miles on a fast main track was 1:44.22.
