DELAWARE PARK PICKS AND HORSES TO WATCH: SEPT. 5

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

Delaware Park has a 9-race card on tap for this Saturday afternoon with the finale for Arabians. 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 32, 5, 6Older maiden special weight runners will try the turf here (we hope!)… Let’s give another crack to #2 Enjoy the Music (3-1), who won at this level (but was DQed) two back. Last time he attained a good early position but then was steadied out of it and behind a wall of horses; the top two to run back from that heat both have won… New York-based trainer Christophe Clement generally does well shipping in to Delaware (8-for-33 in MSW races here), and #5 Moonshine Now (2-1), trying grass for the first time, is a half to turf stakes winner Up the Ante… #6 All Set (4-1) is by More Than Ready out of a Forest Wildcat mare who was a graded stakes winner on turf; this one’s a half to multiple graded stakes winner Synchrony, who earned over $950k…
Race 41, 3, 6, 8#1 Who’s Your Daddy (4-1) gets Lasix for the first time on raceday, and she has the running line of a horse who may have bled last time in her debut in Maryland. The Mosler filly’s also dropping out of better company and can move forward today… #3 Cali Girl (8-1) is the first foal out of a mare who was a five-time winner, and the Ness barn can score first out… #6 Feyre (2-1) has finished two lengths behind My Expensive Gift in each of her two starts; fortunately for her, that runner graduated last time out; it might be this one’s turn today… We’re inclined to give another crack to #8 Twirling Thrill (3-1); her debut wasn’t terrible, and while her second start was, it came on a sloppy, sealed surface she may not have liked…
Race 56, 8, 12Interesting to see trainer Arnaud Delacour wheel #6 Curly Ruth (3-1) back on the turf in this a-other-than; she broke her maiden last time out on the main track in a solid effort. But dig a little deeper: this one is out of the turf multiple graded stakes winner Rutherienne, and her turf debut, when second, might be better than you think: winner Duopoly is a Chad Brown trainee who came right back to win an allowance, and four of seven to run back from that race won their follow-ups… #8 La Babia (2-1) rallied willingly for second last out in a slow early-fast late race that enabled an early pace horse to hold on; three of five to run back have won next-out… Don’t be fooled by that middling sort of record for #12 Bramble Bay (8-1); trainer Mike Dini has this miss moving in the right direction: she’s won four of her last five turf tries and last time out beat a couple of decent fillies in I’m Listening and Diamond Play…
WAGERING…We’re thinking exacta boxes may be in order here, especially if you can get a longer priced horse home one-two.

LATEST HANDICAPPING