Delaware Park Racing Notebook 2018: Vol. 18

Elate won the G2 Delaware Handicap. Photo by Allison Janezic.

by Doug McCoy

Every week during the Delaware Park racing season, The Racing Biz will publish The Delaware Park Racing Notebook. This page is designed to give helpful information to both horseplayers and horsemen about the racing picture at Delaware Park from the past week.

In the notebook, you’ll find:

• “Horses to watch” section highlighting both horses who have shown promise those who may have had poor “trips” in their last starts.
• “Clocker’s Corner” where track clockers will point out horses who have worked in noteworthy fashion during the past week.
• Track tendencies or biases during the week’s races. While it would be great if every race track was completely fair and even and an equal number of speed horses, stalkers, and closers won each day, observant handicappers know this just isn’t the case. Every track’s tendencies and biases (favored styles) change and vary, often from one racing program to the next due to any number of factors, most notably weather. While these changes are often minor, there are also days where a certain type of horse (like a speed horse) has a decided advantage, and there also days where one portion of the racing strip is a better spot to race over (like the inside) than another.
• Leading trainers and jocks and who’s been hot during the last week.

HORSES TO WATCH

• TBTWELVE – First-time starter trained by Wayne Potts had been training well up to his debut but lost his best chance when he broke slow and had the rider fall back on him at the break. He swung well wide in the stretch, was gaining late and went out very well after the finish, sweeping past the first two finishers into the turn. Watch for this one with a bit more distance and a decent start.
• MUSIC OF LIFE – Bodemeister filly ripped out fractions of :22.01 and :45.55 while wiring a solid field in 1:04.28 for 5 ½ furlongs in her debut. This one trained by up-and-comer Brittany Trimble may have a future
• TRUSTY ROLL – Jumped up from $20,000 to $30,000 in class in first start for trainer Hugh McMahon but handled the raise well to win in 1:10.60. That was the seventh career win for this one and he looks good right now.
• UNBRIDLED JUAN – Half-hopped at the start to be behind his field and had to be used a bit to remain in striking distance in the Governor’s Day Handicap. He had to swing to the middle of the track for racing room in mid-stretch then finished stoutly outside favored Dr Blarney as that one won his sixth straight.

CLOCKERS’ CORNER

• INTO TEMPTATION – This Into Mischief colt, an $850,000 Lael Stable yearling purchase, worked a half over a wet racing strip in :48 flat, the best of 31 working the distance on 09/29. It appears he worked in company with TU EXAGERES, who last raced in March at Gulfstream Park. That one was trained by Christophe Clement at that time but it appears he may have moved to the Arnaud Delacour barn.
• GENERAL BELLAMY – This one, who finished second in his last start at Parx, drilled a solid five furlongs in 1:01.60 while working in company with MEDIA TIME (who ran 3^rd at Laurel in his most recent start) on 09/29 for Jamie Ness. Their moves were the best of 13 horses working that distance.
• PUTURSEATBELTON and RESOLANA – Both winners of their last starts for trainer Bruno Tessore, posted good times of :48 flat for a half while working together over a muddy strip on 09/26

NEWS ‘N’ NOTES

Record rain in the area has resulted in races scheduled on the turf being transferred to the main track for most of the past month. The bad news was that races taken off the grass were often decimated with scratches and turned into poor betting spots.

The good news is, that means there are a number of turf horses who haven’t been able to race.  With just three weeks left in the meeting you can expect races that do remain on the grass until the end of the current stand will often wind up with full fields and good betting opportunities, especially in gimmicks.

Jamie Ness continues to send out winners at a steady clip. The leader in the training race with 35 victories, he won a trio of races last week while finishing one-two-three with six of his 11 starters.

Six different conditioners posted two wins each. Notables in the group include William “Radio” Downing, yet another accomplished horseman who learned the basics racing in New England. Downing was two-for-two last week, and his winners averaged $15.40.

Another outfit that wins consistently without attracting a lot of attention is the Hugh McMahon stable. McMahon also won a pair last week, and his winners averaged a $14.90 mutual payoff. Arnaud Delacour, who operates one of the classiest operations on the East Coast, also had a pair of winners and surprisingly his winning starters averaged $12.90.

Delacour has supplanted Claudio Gonzalez atop our trainer rankings (at left). He has the second-highest win percentage of any trainer with at least 30 starts at Delaware, the highest wagering return on investment, and the second highest earnings per start. Gonzalez falls to second, with Anthony Pecoraro, Ness, and Jorge Navarro rounding out the top five.

TRACK BIAS REPORT

Power of Snunner won the 2017 Obeah at Delaware Park. Photo by Kathleen O’Leary.

• 09/26 – The racing strip was most favorable to speed and close-up stalker types with the horses racing from the 2-5 paths appearing to travel the best.
• 09/27 – The surface continued to favor speed, and again, horses who prompted the leaders from the outside had good success making moves to challenge for the lead in the final turn and into the stretch.
• 09/29 – Speed held up very well in most of the races on Owners’ Day. Very few runners were able to make strong late and sustained runs from off the pace with any success.
• 10/01 – The speed bias continued on Monday as front runners and those racing close to the pace faring the best.