DELAWARE PARK PICKS AND HORSES TO WATCH: AUG. 31

Elate
Elate was much the best in the 2019 Delaware Handicap. Photo by Allison Janezic.

Delaware Park has an 8-race card on tap for this Monday afternoon. Post time for the opener is 1:15 p.m., and we’ve got Delaware Park picks.

How’d we do last time at Delaware Park?

RACE NUMBERHORSESCOMMENTS
Race 61, 3, 6The only horse in here who’s won an allowance race is #6 Caught Up in You (8-1), who drops out of second-level allowance company after a couple of credible tries; she ought to find this company more to her liking… #3 Always a Queen (2-1) and #1 Landing Zone (4-1) ran one-two, respectively, over the strip back in June. The former subsequently tried allowance company and was third behind runaway winner Lasting Union and behind Annika Gold, who took an allowance in her follow-up. The latter thrashed starter/optional company in her next start. Both figure to contend here.
Race 73, 5, 8, 11#3 Savvy Ally (6-1) has run well in both her turf tries and should be able to sit off a few early speed types before running on to the win… The speedy #8 Clever Sarah (4-1) is two-for-two on the green stuff; she was always clear en route to victory last time but may get pressed in the early going today. We’re also thinking that may have been a suspect group last time; only one of eight to run back has finished in the money next time out.. #5 Olive Kat (8-1) has run pretty well in two recent turf tries without having the cleanest trips. The fourth back in June was particularly good; winner Introduced has won three of four this year including the Smart N Fancy Stakes at the Spa a couple days ago, and this one galloped out ahead of the field… #11 Double Down Dare (3-1) broke her maiden against high-end maiden claimers on the turf at SAR as a juvenile last year, and her follow-up was better than it looks; she was just a length-and-change out of second, and the easy winner, Miss J McKay, is a pretty fast filly…
Race 81, 5You kinda need to be all the way in — or all the way out — on the favorite in here, #4 Second Line David (3-2). If he’s right, he wins, and that’s that. But if not — well, let’s just say we’re all the way out on him and not using him here. Why? For one thing, his last — as the 8-5 chalk — was not pretty; he was five wide into the first turn and never involved at all. Second, this is a pretty precipitous drop, from $25,000 maiden claimers — a level at which he was a good third two back at Keeneland — to the basement after one stinker. And for good measure, rider Alex Cintron jumps ship. None of that feels like a good sign, so we’ll take a stand against while acknowledging we might get our heads kicked in here… In a race that played to the closers — the top three finishers were eighth, seventh, and fifth after a quarter-mile — a horse who stuck with it right to the end was #1 Martini Lane (4-1), our top choice in here. He’s run decent races going long before, and this’ll be his second after a 10-month break… #5 Berry Hill (5-1) is lightly raced, an advantage in this spot, and will try two turns on the dirt for the first time… We didn’t use him, but #3 Bolter (15-1) ran OK last time, finishing a couple behind Martini Lane, and he picks up Cintron in the irons; if we were inclined to add a horse to our picks, this’d be the one…
WAGERING…A 50-cent Pick 3 using all of these will set you back $12.00.

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