Delaware Park 2018 horses to watch: September 6

by | Sep 6, 2018 | Breaking, DE Racing, Delaware, Racing

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

by Frank Vespe

Delaware Park has an eight-race card on tap for Wednesday, September 5. Post time for the card is 1:15 p.m. Some horses to watch:

Race 4 – Allowance/optional claiming

  • Three-year-olds and up will go a mile on the main track in an allowance/optional claiming event with a couple of different qualifying conditions and an optional claiming tag of $30,000.
  • We’ll be curious to see if #6 Dr. Blarney (9-5) scares off his rivals; the Karl Grusmark trainee has won 15 of his 21 career starts, mostly against Massachusetts-breds, and has two wins in three tries locally. That said, one horse that may not need to run for the hills is #5 Honor the Fleet (8-1). Honor the Fleet, a four-year-old To Honor and Serve colt, easily beat Dr. Blarney two back in a Laurel Park allowance. Unfortunately, that was in October of 2017, and he’s made just one start, an eighth-place finish in the City of Laurel Stakes, since; this will be his first start of 2018. The Louis Albertrani trainee has a somewhat spotty record of recorded works towards this event, but his last one, a half-mile breeze in 47 2/5 seconds that was the best of 25 at the distance, suggests he’s about as ready as breezing will make him. He’s won three of his five dirt tries outside of stakes races and has been stakes-placed twice. Weston Hamilton will ride.
  • Selections: 1-6-5-3

Race 7 – Allowance/optional claiming

  • Fillies and mares three and up will go 1 1/16 miles on the turf in a second-level allowance with an optional claiming tag of $30,000.
  • We’re inclined to give #1 Antoaneta (7-2)  a pass for that last one, when she was beaten a half-dozen lengths (though finishing second) against similar at Laurel Park. That race came over yielding ground that she may not have liked — and that the winner, Quick Witted, who now owns two wins on yielding turf, certainly did. If she catches firmer ground Thursday, she can certainly move up here. Prior to that, she’d won two straight, including a win against allowance rivals July 1; the runner-up in that one, Sophia Is an Angel, came back to win an allowance next out. Antoaneta has gotten a bit of a breather — her last start was July 28 — and is slated to be reunited by trainer Carl Allsop with jockey Jorge Ruiz, who won on her two back.
  • Selections: 1-5-6-9

 

 

 

 

ARABIAN WATCH

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

No Arabian race today.