Delaware Park 2018 horses to watch: September 12

by | Sep 12, 2018 | Breaking, DE Racing, Delaware, Racing

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

by Frank Vespe

Delaware Park has a nine-race card on tap for Wednesday, September 12, with the finale Arabians. Delaware is off the turf today. Post time for the card is 1:15 p.m. Some horses to watch:

Race 6 – Maiden special weight

  • Two-year-old maiden fillies will go 6 furlongs on the main track.
  • #1 Sanguine (7-5), half of a Graham Motion-trained entry, will make her second start here. She ran well on debut, finishing second, albeit beaten five lengths. After pressing the early pace, she couldn’t stick with the 6-5 winner, Bye Bye Bertie, but she ran on gamely to hold the place. This daughter of Quality Road will have Jorge Vargas, Jr. in the irons again; Vargas and Motion have clicked at a 23 percent rate over the last two months.
  • #5 Our Super Freak (5-2) also makes her second start here after a credible debut. The Jamie Ness trainee rallied from seventh early to finish fourth at this level over the strip back in late July. She’s showing a couple of works in the interim — one a bullet. The winner of her debut, Malocchio, is one of a bevy of talented John Servis-trained youngsters; she returned to be second as the favorite in the Sorority Stakes at Monmouth Park. Our Super Freak will get Lasix here for the first time. Brian Pedroza will ride.
  • Selections: 5-1-2-1a

 

Race 7 – Allowance/optional claiming

  • Three-year-olds and up will go 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track in a second-level allowance with an optional claiming tag of $30,000.
  • The Ham Smith trainee #1 Greatbullsoffire (8-1) showed enormous potential as a juvenile, winning four races, including the Strike Your Colors Stakes over the strip and, by six lengths, the Maryland Juvenile Futurity. But that was back in 2016, and he’s only raced once since, an up-the-track effort in the last August’s Coalition Stakes at Timonium. He’s been working steadily towards his return since mid-July, and we’re really curious to see if he can regain his juvenile form. Still, you have to wonder if he’ll need a race, and you have to suspect that this one is more of a prep for next month’s Maryland Million; this son of Bullsbay won the Maryland Million Nursery in ’16. Victor Carrasco will ride.
  • Another promising sort returning from a long layoff is #6 Winplaceorshowono (4-1). The Dale Capuano trainee won three times last year, including a score in the New Castle Stakes at Delaware and was last seen running credibly behind the likes of Blu Moon Ace (in the Maryland Million Sprint) and Lewisfield and Struth (in the Bender Memorial). He hasn’t raced since December, though, and is showing just three works in the interim. Alex Cintron will ride.
  • Selections: 5-4-1-6

 

 

ARABIAN WATCH

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

Today’s Arabian race is a six furlong maiden special weight event for fillies and mares. RB Blastfromthepast, with Keiber Coa aboard, has one second and one third in her only two starts. She is poised to get a victory. The entry from Mandolynn Hill Farm and Simon Hobson, Andaka and Murphy MHF could figure in the top three. Highh Spirits is a well-bred filly (the same type of cross that produced Three-time Darley Horse of the Year Paddys Day) who was unplaced in her first start. Assuming she got her first start jitters out of the way, she could play a role. There is one first time starter, Uptown Sweet Caroline, from Uptown Arabians and Lynn Ashby, the same connections as the Grade 1-winning mare Uptown Sandy Girl.