Delaware Park 2018 horses to watch: August 13

by | Aug 13, 2018 | Breaking, DE Racing, Delaware, Racing

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

by Frank Vespe

Delaware Park has a nine-race card scheduled for Monday, August 13, with the finale for Arabians. Post time for the card is 1:15 p.m., and here are some horses to watch:

Race 4 – Maiden special weight

  • Two-year-olds are scheduled to go 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf.
  • #4 Ortega (9-2) comes out of the Michael Stidham barn and, more to the point, is one of his battalion of runners for high-end owners Godolphin LLC. The Street Sense colt is out of the winning A. P. Indy mare Chimayo and is a half to two winners. He’ll be making his debut here after posting a decent work tab, and Stidham will leg up Albin Jimenez.
  • #6 Elfitz (5-1) is a Congrats gelding from the Michael Matz barn also making his debut. He’s out of the graded stakes winner Aunt Henny and is a sib to five winners, including a stakes winner. Matz has only a middling record with first-time starters and will leg up Victor Carrasco here.
  • The Deputy Minister mare Sharp Minister has thrown nine winners, including three stakes winners, and trainer Michael Dickinson is hoping #10 Dob Dob (7-2) begins the next. A son of Temple City, Dob Dob has had the luxury of training over the turf course at Dickinson’s Tapeta Farm, where he’s posted several four- and five-furlong breezes. Dickinson has struggled with firsters of late, however, and is winless with his last 21 firsters. Mario Pino will ride.
  • Selections: 4-5-6-10

 

Race 8 – Allowance/optional claiming

  • Fillies and mares three and up will go a mile 70 yards on the turf in a first-level allowance with an optional claiming tag of $20,000.
  • There are plenty of ways to go in this wide-open heat (assuming it remains on the turf), but there’s something extra-intriguing about a runner who wins at first asking. Such is the case with #6 Mutabaahyia (8-1). The Michael Pino trainee rallied from last to win her debut going away by a length-and-a-half June 18. That was at the 7 1/2-furlong distance at Parx Racing with Paco Lopez in the irons. She hasn’t raced since, but the sophomore Animal Kingdom filly — a Shadwell homebred — is showing four works in the interim, most recently a zippy half-mile on August 5. Pino will leg up his brother Mario to ride.
  • Selections: 6-10-11-1

 

 

ARABIAN WATCH

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

This allowance/optional claiming race is for non-winners of two going six furlongs. Dance With Me BW, from the barn of Scott Powell, seems to be the class of the field even though she is running against the boys. She was so impressive breaking her maiden in her first start and finished second to the nice mare, Tiffanys Dream, in her most recent start. Zepher CS is coming off a win in claiming company and could be a threat. RB Texas Hold Em, with Keibar Coa aboard, has never finished worse than third in his short racing career and should be a factor. Then a number of horses could be battling for a top three spot, including Colors In Motion and Burn Notice MC.