Delaware Park 2018 horses to watch: October 3
Off at Delaware Park. Photo © www.HoofprintsInc.com.
by Frank Vespe
Delaware Park has a nine-race card on Wednesday, October 3, and the finale is for Arabians. Post time for the card is 1:15 p.m. Some horses to watch:
Race 2 – Maiden special weight
- Two-year-olds will go 1 mile 70 yards on the turf.
- We’ll be watching – but not betting on – #10 Thomond Park (6-1) in this contest. The Giant’s Causeway colt is a first-time starter from the powerful Christophe Clement barn. He is out of the stakes-placed Wagon Limit mare My Limit and is a half-sib to five winners, among them the multiple graded stakes winner Birdatthewire, who earned over $800,000 (albeit mostly sprinting on the main track). Clement hits at about 12 percent with debut runners and here will leg up Trevor McCarthy. So why not bet? For one thing the suspicion here is he’ll be bet down from these odds. For another, you have to believe that if they really liked this guy, they’d stay home in New York, where maiden special purses are $75,000, rather than shipping to Delaware to run for $34,000.
- Of note: trainer Arnaud Delacour has a pair in here in the form of #6 Skole (8-1) and #9 Mind the Gap (10-1). Both are first-timers, and Delacour has won with four of seven debut runners at the meet.
- Selections: 11-6-10-8
Race 8 – Allowance/optional claiming
- Three-year-olds and and up will go a mile on the main track in a first-level allowance with an optional claiming tag of $16,000.
- Trainer Jerenesto Torrez doesn’t send out many Thoroughbred starters — he’s best known for his work with Arabians — but #4 Tapir (12-1) comes from his barn and looks to have a bit of talent. Last out, in his second career start, he rallied into a glacial early pace — the half-mile time was 50.30 seconds, with three quarters in 1:15.92 — to inch clear to win by a half-length. He was the only one of the horses towards the rear of the field early to make any progress at all in the race, so that looks to have been a better effort than it appears on the page. Carol Cedeno will ride once again.
- Selections: 4-3-8
ARABIAN WATCH
Arabian handicapping is provided by our friends at Arabian Finish Line.
Today’s event for the Arabians is a non-winners of two allowance or optional claiming event for fillies and mares racing at a distance of six furlongs. RB Gaim Changer, second last time out, has Keibar Coa aboard and looks to pick up the victory. Smoke En Fire ran off the board in her last race, but still has a win and second in only three lifetime starts. She should have a say in this race. Fortaissa has struggled to return to her winning form, but a third last time out shows she’s getting back to it and could definitely be in the top three.
Thanks to you and Doug McCoy for all the great coverage at Del Park this year. You pointed out a key race at Laurel on 8/18. He’ll Do who finished next to last, is entered into race #4 today. Though he finished next to last, He’ll Do ran fastest last 1/4(11.79) quarter and was bumped soundly coming out of the gate. He’ll Do has also outworked She’ll Do, who finished 2nd last week with a 62 beyer. And the price should right too on He’ll Do, 15-20-1. Saying all that, think Proctor might be prepping He’ll Do for a dirt Msw at Keenland later this month. Don’t think Mark Valeski’s will thrive on turf. 2 offspring of Valeski’s have tried turf at Gulfstream this summer, and either has hit the board. Guess I too will be watching!
thanks, Bill – hope you played that $19 winner!
Shows you what I know about turf breeding! He’s pretty Clever, who finished last in 8/18 key race at Laurel, in tomorrow at Laurel.So your horse finished 2nd at 11-1. Question, since you said you were not betting, are you mad that you didn’t bet? What a tricky game we play!