Old Harbor sets Del Park turf record

Old Harbor. Photo by HoofprintsInc.com.

by Frank Vespe

Delaware Park today ran a pair of stakes restricted to horses that had run at the track during the 2016 meeting.

Despite the seemingly modest conditions, one of those races — the $75,000 George Rosenberger Memorial Stakes for fillies and mares three and up going 1 1/16 miles on the turf — produced a track record.  And the other, the $75,000 DTHA Governors Day, nearly did the same.

Joseph Birnbaum’s Old Harbor won the $75,000 George Rosenberger Memorial in front-running, and record-setting, fashion this afternoon.

With Ricardo Chiappe aboard, the 5-year-old daughter of Raffie’s Majesty set the track record for a mile and a sixteenth, on the turf by covering the distance in 1:39.95. The previous record was held by Whale, who ran the distance in 1:40.51 in 2005.

Old Harbor held a length lead through a half-mile in 47.22 seconds, maintained that through three-quarters in 1:10.57, and then drew away while covering the final five-sixteenths in 29.38 seconds.

Old Harbor won by 4 ½-lengths and returned $8.60 as the second-choice in the field of eight. Tela, with Brian Pedroza, finished second. It was another length further back to Divine Dawn, with Gabriel Saez, in third. The 3-to-2 favorite, Catcha Rising Star with Erick Rodriguez, finished fifth.

Old Harbor, a New York-bred trained by Russell Cash, raised her career record to seven wins from 23 starts with earnings of $481,335.

One race later, defending champ Ain’t Got Time missed Delaware’s track record for one mile 70 yards by less than 2/5 seconds while posting a 7 1/2 length win.

With Scott Spieth aboard, the 5-year-old son of Roman Ruler won by a 7 1/2-lengths and returned $8.40 as the fourth choice in the field of seven. The Kentucky-bred trained by former Delaware Park leading trainer Tim Ritchey, won this race last year by 3-lengths.

Fabuulous Time, with Ricardo Chiapie finished second. It was another 1 1/4-lengths further back to Albano, with Gabriel Saez, in third.  Favored Warrioroftheroses chased the early pace from second but faded to finish seventh, and last.

Ain’t Got Time, cut early fractions of :46.56 for the half mile and 1:10.60 for the three-quarters mile before completing the mile and seventy yards in 1:39.55 over a fast main track.

He raised his career record to seven wins from 20 starts with earnings of $291,541.