Delaware Park picks and horses to watch: August 26

Photo by HoofprintsInc.com.

We’ve got Delaware Park picks and horses to watch for Wednesday, August 26. The card features nine races.

Race 4 — Maiden special weight

• Two-year-old maidens will go 6 furlongs on the main track.
• Interesting group here which features a couple of well-bred first-timers and a couple of others who have run decent races without yet winning… In the former category is #3 Tate (4-1), a Quality Road colt for Godolphin and trainer Mike Stidham. This one is a half to Grade 3 Indiana Derby winner Shared Sense and is out of a Bernardini mare. He’s been training well enough, and Stidham wins with 20% of first-time babies. Plus, Quality Road is known for getting precocious runners… Also in that category is #5 Plamen (6-1). The Arnaud Delacour trainee is a son of Curlin out of a Pulpit mare, who was a stake winner on turf. His only sib to race is the pretty good Layla Noor, who was credible on turf and dirt. This one’s also been training well, and Delacour wins with 14% of first-time juveniles… #2 Gaming Jack (2-1) has run two decent races for trainer Jerry Robb without being much of a threat to win either; none of four to run back from his last has won… #7 Alwaysinahurry (3-1) has also run two OK races for trainer Dale Capuano; last time out he was beaten just a neck for second, and the added ground on offer today probably aids his cause…

How’d we do on Monday? Monday’s Delaware Park Horses to Watch

Race 7 — Allowance/optional claiming

• Two-year-olds will go 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track in an allowance for horses that have never won two with an optional claiming tag of $75,000.
• Virtually any one of these — certainly any of the bottom six — is a horse you can make a case for in this spot, but one we want to flag is #8 Maythehorsebwithu (5-1). The Bullsbay gelding was the easiest kind of winner at first asking, spurting to the early lead and widening from there to win in maiden $40,000 claiming company by 10 lengths. He showed good early zip and came home nicely, covering the last 3/16 in 18.05 seconds — the fastest of three races at the distance that day. He’s also bred to be a runner; his siblings include the Grade 3 winner Call Paul and sophomore Pink Caddy, who’s won three of five, including a stake, to start the career.

Who tops latest Midlantic jockey, trainer ratings?

Race 8 — Allowance/optional claiming

• Three-year-olds and up will go about 1 mile on the turf in a second-level allowance with an optional claiming tag of $25,000.
• Intriguing group here, with a couple of old class horses facing off against a couple of runners on the rise… One in the former camp is the six-year-old #1 Uncle B (4-1), whose last six starts include a win in the Claiming Crown Emerald, a third in the El Prado Stakes, and a good fourth in the G3 Appleton. The bad news is he hasn’t started since June 2019. Trainer Gerald Bennett is 3-for-17 with horses making their first starts in his barn off long layoffs… Also in that same camp is #3 Soglio (10-1), who is Grade 3-placed, having finished a half-length behind the very good Zulu Alpha in the 2019 W. L. McKnight. Not unlike Uncle B, this one has made just a single start since last June, getting up late to win a $25,000 claiming race in February that’s produced two next-out winners. If he comes back running, the six-year-old competes in this group… A horse who seems to have blossomed in his last 10 or so starts is #10 Taxable Goods (6-1); the Lynn Ashby trainee has run a bunch of good races, and if this runner gets back on turf (at last) today could be prepped to deliver. His only grass try since the Covid-19 break was a solid third at Laurel in a race won by one of only two horses there to have raced within the last six months… #11 The Last Zip (5-1) can contend here in his third try since the Covid break for trainer Stidham. He has run plenty of good races, and while his last turf try, two back when eighth at Belmont Park, wasn’t great, two of those runners returned to be stakes-placed next out.

WAGERS

• Race 4: $2 exacta 3, 5 w/ 2, 3, 5, 7 (cost: $12.00)
• Race 7: $1 exacta 8 w/ 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (cost: $5.00)
• Race 7: $1 exacta 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 w/ 8 (cost: $5.00)
• Race 8: $1 exacta 1, 3, 10, 11 w/ 1, 3, 5, 10, 11 (cost: $16.00)
• Good luck!

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