Delaware Park Racing Notebook 2018: Vol. 3
Teresa Z won the Obeah Stakes. Photo by The Racing Biz.
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
- QUICK WITTED – Late-running type from the Ham Smith barn swung extremely wide while trying to close over tight Delaware turf course when fourth in last. Better placement for this one’s late kick makes him dangerous next start.
- OK KAY – Turned in solid effort in first start since April and with that one under her belt, should be sitting on a big race next out.
- TIZCREETLY – Was in perfect position into the stretch in a turf route most recently only to tire in first race in nine months and first outing since being gelded. Look for a strong performance from this one next time he suits up.
- AIDEN’S RAG DOLL – Looked very sharp in his most recent, blowing by the leaders with authority before drawing off through the lane. That was against allowance optional claiming types but off his last, this one might be able to surprise at stakes-level company.
CLOCKERS’ CORNER
- UNUSUAL FLEET – This Pino trainee worked five furlongs in a solid 1:01.40 as she prepares for her first start since November.
- HONOR THE FLEET – This one who’s also been off since last November drilled a strong half in :47.80 on June 16 and might surprise coming off the shelf soon.
- TWOCUBANBROTHERSU – This hard-knocking veteran showed he’s still got some quickness in his step, posting a bullet work of :47.60 on June 16.
JOCKEYS AND TRAINERS
Carol Cedeno looks to have hit her best stride, as last year’s leading rider had another good week. Cedeno won five races from 20 mounts and raised her total for the meeting to 12 victories, three more than Angel Suarez and four more than Daniel Centeno and Keiber Coa.
Centeno, who is spending a lot of time of the road with business at Monmouth Park, Laurel Park, Parx Racing and Penn National, booted home four winners from 9 mounts locally last week while Suarez and Alex Cintron each had three winners.
The alternative jockey ratings, posted at right, incorporate wins, win percentage, earnings per start, and $2 wagering return on investment into a single rating, with 400 being the top rating a jockey could receive. They were applied to every jockey who has made at least 10 starts and won at least once. Centeno, who leads the colony in win percentage (33 percent) and earnings per start, has the top spot in the early going.
Behind him in second and third are a pair of riders with four wins thus far: Augusto Marin, whose $3.98 ROI is tops in the colony among riders, and Jomar Torres, who is second in win percentage and third in earnings per start.
RANK | JOCKEY | RATING POINTS | WINS | WIN PCT. | EARNINGS/START | $2 ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Centeno Daniel | 321.34 | 8 | 33.33% | $8,069.38 | $2.16 |
| 2 | Marin Augusto A | 254.91 | 4 | 25.00% | $3,738.44 | $3.98 |
| 3 | Torres Jomar | 245.86 | 4 | 30.77% | $5,778.08 | $1.92 |
| 4 | Cedeno Carol | 227.03 | 12 | 18.75% | $2,577.11 | $1.54 |
| 5 | Coa Keiber J | 224.02 | 8 | 18.18% | $2,590.11 | $2.80 |
| 6 | Pino Mario G | 214.02 | 3 | 18.75% | $6,678.75 | $1.98 |
| 7 | Swan Kirsten | 196.30 | 3 | 30.00% | $3,393.50 | $1.55 |
| 8 | Cintron Alex | 189.84 | 5 | 18.52% | $4,860.56 | $1.28 |
| 9 | Suarez Angel | 168.92 | 9 | 15.00% | $2,266.87 | $0.82 |
| 10 | Rosado Johan | 164.16 | 3 | 20.00% | $4,138.67 | $1.10 |
| 11 | Hamilton Weston | 145.62 | 1 | 10.00% | $4,142.50 | $2.22 |
| 12 | Rodriguez Pablo | 141.11 | 4 | 17.39% | $2,564.78 | $0.94 |
| 13 | Uske Shannon | 134.10 | 2 | 10.53% | $2,341.84 | $2.25 |
| 14 | Vargas Jr Jorge A | 131.64 | 2 | 14.29% | $4,305.71 | $0.74 |
| 15 | Paz Robert | 117.46 | 2 | 13.33% | $1,646.67 | $1.60 |
| 16 | Quiles Antonio | 98.31 | 2 | 10.53% | $1,774.47 | $1.11 |
| 17 | Russell Sheldon | 96.54 | 1 | 10.00% | $3,795.50 | $0.44 |
| 18 | Mccarthy Trevor | 70.87 | 1 | 7.14% | $2,580.71 | $0.36 |
| 19 | Betancourt Jose R | 62.85 | 2 | 6.06% | $1,024.61 | $0.61 |
| 20 | Ortega Jomar | 55.80 | 1 | 7.69% | $1,062.31 | $0.44 |
| 21 | Lara Ezequiel | 44.00 | 1 | 3.57% | $1,384.46 | $0.31 |
| 22 | Garcia Jose Angel | 40.65 | 1 | 4.00% | $957.60 | $0.33 |
RANK | TRAINER | RATING POINTS | WINS | WIN PCT. | EARNINGS/START | $2 WAGERING ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Motion H Graham | 324.56 | 5 | 55.56% | $13,431 | $2.82 |
| 2 | Pecoraro Anthony | 269.42 | 4 | 44.44% | $8,790 | $3.92 |
| 3 | Gonzalez Claudio A | 236.14 | 3 | 42.86% | $8,984 | $2.88 |
| 4 | Tsirigotis Jr James | 233.61 | 3 | 33.33% | $3,761 | $6.54 |
| 5 | Ashby Lynn A | 232.90 | 6 | 37.50% | $4,558 | $2.15 |
| 6 | Capuano Gary | 224.27 | 2 | 33.33% | $7,375 | $5.20 |
| 7 | Talley Jeff | 220.07 | 2 | 33.33% | $3,591 | $6.84 |
| 8 | Delacour Arnaud | 192.24 | 3 | 30.00% | $6,590 | $2.68 |
| 9 | Carrasco Jr Victor | 183.72 | 4 | 33.33% | $3,304 | $2.22 |
| 10 | Lake Scott A | 182.05 | 6 | 21.43% | $2,580 | $1.66 |
| 11 | Jacobson David | 176.32 | 3 | 42.86% | $3,464 | $1.60 |
| 12 | Gorham Michael E | 172.96 | 3 | 18.75% | $4,913 | $3.60 |
| 13 | Bennett Gerald S | 166.89 | 5 | 20.83% | $3,947 | $1.14 |
| 14 | Neilson Wallace C | 144.47 | 2 | 28.57% | $2,129 | $3.00 |
| 15 | Ness Jamie | 138.51 | 4 | 20.00% | $3,125 | $0.86 |
| 16 | Torrez Jerenesto | 125.39 | 3 | 23.08% | $2,897 | $0.84 |
| 17 | Potts Wayne | 94.48 | 3 | 11.11% | $2,267 | $0.52 |
| 18 | Rubley Kelly | 89.50 | 1 | 14.29% | $4,129 | $1.12 |
| 19 | Rigattieri John | 76.97 | 1 | 14.29% | $2,721 | $0.98 |
On the trainer’s side of the slate Gerald “Gerry” Bennett, who won the training title this winter at Tampa Bay Downs, made his presence felt as he sent out three winners from 10 starters. The strong showing moved him into a tie for third in the overall standings back of leader Scott Lake (eight wins).
Lake also had three winners from six runners, while Lynn Ashby and veteran Wallace Neilson had two victories each, as did Ann Merryman. Merryman went two-for two, and her winners averaged a whopping $37.00 mutuel payoff.
Ashby and Graham Motion are tied for second overall with five victories each and Motion’s came from just nine starters.
The rankings at left combine wins, win percentage, earnings per start, and $2 wagering return on investment into a single numerical rating, with the top possible score being 400. They are comprised of thoroughbred and Arabian statistics and include all trainers to have won at least once and made more than five starts.
TRACK BIAS REPORT
Power of Snunner won the 2017 Obeah at Delaware Park. Photo by Kathleen O’Leary.
- 06/13 – The main track seems to have stabilized into a speed-favoring surface that is still fair enough that stalkers and late runners have a chance to succeed if the pace is hot enough. Such was the case on Wednesday, when speed types and up close stalkers did well but late closers were able to get in in two races on the card.
- 06/14 – Speed ruled in most of the races Thursday, especially in the sprint races with runners racing from the three through six paths seeming the most comfortable with the going.
- 06/16 – The track played reasonably fair with no radical bias on the dirt. The rail was moved out to 35 feet on the turf course and this gave horses with tactical speed and those racing inside the advantage. Late-closing types still have a chance but look for horses that make that first move in the second turn and get to the lead to be hard to run down.
- 06/18 – Horses with good early speed and close up stalkers did well on Monday, especially in the shorter races. A quick pace in the sixth race helped horses who came from off the pace to finish one-two, but the speed advantage with the rail out showed again in the eighth with speed types running one-two.
