Delaware Park Racing Notebook, Vol. 9

by | Aug 9, 2017 | Breaking, DE Racing, Delaware, Racing, Top Stories

Master Plan

Master Plan won the Stanton Stakes at Delaware Park. Photo by Kathleen O’Leary.

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

  • I GOT CLASS – Closed from ninth to be flying late when beaten a head and a neck at 50-1 in a seven and a half furlong turf. Looks to be sitting on a win next out, especially if stretched out to a mile and a sixteenth.
  • UNCLE LEO – Wired a field of turf sprinters going five furlongs in :57.59 and more importantly, went the final furlong in 11.4. This one is sharp right now and could repeat.
  • SOUTHERNPERFECTION – Dominated her last, wiring her field while covering the six furlongs in 1:11.59. Looks like she could handle a jump in class for next.
  • MAYA MALIBU – Malibu Moon filly out of Island Sand, a million dollar earner whose wins included the Delaware Handicap, looked very professional sweeping to victory for trainer Graham Motion in her debut. This youngster looks like she has a bright future.

CLOCKER’S CORNER

Delaware Park clocker has this to say about several noteworthy morning moves

  • NO DISTORTION – Larry Jones router who posted a mild upset winning the Hanford Memorial on DelCap day, continues to train smartly and drilled five furlongs in  :59 flat then galloped out a strong six furlongs in 1:12.
  • YOU KNOW TOO – Mike Gorham 3-year-old filly who finished a very creditable fourth in the Delaware Oaks despite a less than perfect trip, continues to train like a good horse, working six furlongs in 1:13 then galloping out the mile in 1:39.1.
  • MISS DEPLORABLE – Two-year-old trained by Galvan Baltazar woke up in her last move, working a sharp five furlongs from the gate in 1:01 flat. Watch for this one to make her debut soon.

A quartet of riders won four races last week. Carol Cedeno, Ricardo Chiappe, Scott Spieth, and Jomar Torres all had four winners with Torres posting the highest win percentage at 31 percent.

We had pointed out that Spieth was one of the sharpest tacticians in the room when it comes to analyzing races and probable pace scenarios. These attributes are especially critical in turf races and last week Spieth won with three of the four horses he rode on the turf. Chiappe’s winners averaged a whopping $32.10.

Feargal Lynch won on three of the five mounts he rode last week while Edwin Gonzalez and Brian Pedroza each booted home a pair of winners.

In the overall standings Cedeno is starting to pull away from her competition, opening up a 10 win advantage over Spieth, 29-19, with Daniel Centeno and Torres in third and fourth positions.

JOCKEYS AND TRAINERS

[table id=187 /]
[table id=186 /]

Seven trainers each won two races last week. Jamie Ness, Andrew Simoff, Scott Lake, Jorge Diaz, Jeremento Torres, Josesph Arboritanza, and Menotti Aristone each captured a pair of races. Diaz’ winners had an average win payoff of $21.80.

The overall trainers’ race has Anthony Pecoraro tied with Arabian power Torres — he sent out six of seven starters in an Arabian stake the other day — with 12 wins each. Pecoraro continues to hold a hot hand, sending out winners at a 32 percent rate. Mike Gorham and Michael Catalano are tied for third with 10 wins each, one more than surging Jamie Ness. Arboritanza and Scott Lake also have nine winners along with Ness.

TRACK BIAS REPORT

Power of Snunner

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

  • 7/31 – Stalkers and closers fared the best on this Monday program as the track was a bit on the dull side and the inside of the strip was dead. Runners racing from the three to six paths seemed to travel the best.
  • 08/02 – Those racing off the pace continued to have a slight advantage although the bias wasn’t as pronounced as on Monday and the track played close to fair.
  • 08/03 – The strip played close to fair and even with runners racing from the two to the five path travelling best.
  • 08/05 – The main track continued to be reasonably fair and again, horses travelling from the two through the five paths appeared to get over the surface well.