Delaware Park Racing Notebook 2018: Vol. 15

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

• GOLDEN ATTITUDE – Euro runner made her first U.S. start a winning one for Arnaud Delacour when she overcame a slow start and being boxed in the second turn to run down the leaders late in an allowance/optional claiming route over nine furlongs on the turf. This one was trained by former riding great Freddie Head, a member of Europe’s top training families, and could win a small stake soon.
• GALILEO’S MELODY – Ran a sneaky good race while racing with older rivals. The 3-year-old was a little sluggish early while turning back in distance from a mile and three eighths to a mile and an eighth but was rapidly making up ground behind the top two in Golden Attitude’s race. Should be tough with straight 3-year-old fillies next out, especially if there is ample early speed in the field.
• POLISHED STEEL – Dwelt at the break of a six furlong sprint, rushed up to contest a hot pace into the stretch, then shook clear in the drive only to hang in the final 40 yards of a race run in a very quick 1:10.89. A decent break would make this one hard to beat next out for training powerhouse Jorge Navarro.
• SILVER SLIVERS – Was hung wide throughout and despite his position, managed to make up ground through a rapid  :23.4 middle quarter in a recent turf route. Better placement would make this one a threat now that she’s proven she can handle two turns.

CLOCKERS’ CORNER

• TWOCUBANSBROTHERSU – Tough veteran campaigner who was sixth in a stake in his last start continues to show a fondness for his work with a quick half-mile drill of :47.60 on 09/05. It’s tough for trainer John RIgattieri to find spots for this one to race now that he’s exhausted many of his conditions, but wherever he shows up next you can expect a dead honest effort.
• GARDENISTA – This unraced Curlin 2-year-old posted a half-mile clocking of :48.40 from the gate on 09/06, the best time of 12 for the distance that morning despite being one of only four to work from the gate.
• NOTION’S BEAUTY – Sophomore filly’s :49.00 move from the gate on 9/6 wasn’t as fast as Gardenista’s but was still a solid one.
• TRICKIZAR – This 3-year-old trained by Baltazar Galvan has shown potential through much of her career, and her five-furlong move of 1:01.80 on September 7 (the best of six for that distance) signals she may be ready to improve on a fourth-place finish in her last start on 08/09.

Jamie Ness is threatening to make a runaway of the local trainers race. Ness sent out four winners from 10 starters with two other runners finishing second and now has saddled 29 winners for the current meeting, 11 more than Anthony Pecoraro and Arabian power Jerenesto Torrez.

Pecoraro’s strong band of young horses continue to produce, as the veteran conditioner won with all three horses he started last week. Michael Catalano Jr., Andrew Simoff and Stacy Lane Hendry each saddled a pair of winners.

Ness is fourth on our trainer rankings (at left), just behind Pecoraro in third. They both trail meet leaders Claudio Gonzalez and Arnaud Delacour. Though Gonzalez is well behind Ness in wins, with 13, he leads the track in win percentage and earnings per start and is second in wagering ROI. Gary Capuano rounds out the top five.

TRACK BIAS REPORT

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

• 09/05 – The track played reasonably fair with a slight edge to stalkers and late runners, and the portion of the surface from the three-lane on out seemed to be the place where the horses were the most comfortable.
• 09/06 – The surface was a bit tighter on Thursday with horses racing on or near the front finding the most success. Times for the sprints were a little quicker than normal including a 1:09.3 clocking.
• 09/08 – Heavy rains in the area over the past day and a half left the strip sloppy with a lot of standing water, and jockeys were left to find the best footing on a race-to-race basis. Turf races were moved to the main track.
• 09/10 – Steady rain on Sunday kept the main track wet with a good bit of standing water around the oval, and races were taken off the turf again.