Delaware Park 2018 horses to watch: September 22

by | Sep 22, 2018 | Breaking, DE Racing, Delaware, Racing

Off at Delaware Park. Photo © www.HoofprintsInc.com.

by Frank Vespe

Delaware Park has a nine-race card on Saturday, September 22. The finale is for Arabians. Post time for the card is 1:15 p.m. Some horses to watch:

Race 3 – Maiden claiming

  • Three-year-olds and up will go 1 1/8 miles on the turf (we hope!) at the $20,000 claiming level.
  • Trainer Arnaud Delacour’s patience with #5 Breakers Point (2-1) has expired, and the Point of Entry gelding will try claiming rivals for the first time. Breakers Point has run pretty credible races against maiden special weight foes, including one where he was fourth but beaten less than a length at Delaware. He’s showing a good half-mile breeze since his last start, August 31 at Monmouth, and Delacour has a gaudy 38 percent strike rate dropping from maiden specials to maiden claimers. Angel Suarez will ride.
  • With Maryland Million just a month away, it’s worth noting that the 2016 winner of the grassy Maryland Million Ladies was Devilish Love — and that her half-brother, #8 American Colossus (15-1), is scheduled to try the lawn for the first time in this event. The son of El Kingdom — himself a son of El Prado, another grass influence — hasn’t been terrible but also hasn’t been especially impressive in three tries on the main track, though in two of those, the race was taken off the turf. Trainer Clyde Martin hopes he’ll get to try this one on turf here, and he’ll give a leg up to Augusto Marin, who’s having a productive Delaware Park meeting.
  • Selections: 5-8-1-7

 

Race 6 – Allowance/optional claiming

  • Three-year-olds and up will go six furlongs on the main track in a first-level allowance with an optional claiming tag of $16,000.
  • Here’s a productive racehorse: #5 His Name Is Sue (6-1) has won five of 10 career starts, including winning three allowance/optional claiming events, in for the tag all three times. Here’s the other thing: he’s been worse than second in just four of his 10 starts, and it appears he might have excuses in all four: one was around two turns, one was on turf, one was versus stakes rivals, and one, two back, was his only try on a sloppy strip. Toss those, and you have a horse who’s done very little wrong. In his last, at Monmouth, he finished a good second at long odds versus similar level rivals, and here, he’ll make his third start off a three-month break for trainer Skip Einhorn. Carlos Hernandez will ride.
  • Selections: 5-2-4

 

ARABIAN WATCH

Arabian handicapping is provided by our friends at Arabian Finish Line.

Today’s Arabian race is a six furlong claiming event. Colors In Motion, a graded-stakes placed winner from trainer Lynn Ashby, has been doing well at this level and is the probable favorite. Lapcos Lets Dance and Zells Bells, both third in their last starts, look to finish in the top three again. The 10-year-old gelding Sergeant Pepper MHF finished fifth in his first start in almost a year. This is his second start off the layoff so he should show improvement.