Delaware Park 2018 horses to watch: September 10

by | Sep 10, 2018 | Breaking, DE Racing, Delaware, Racing

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

by Frank Vespe

Delaware Park has an eight-race card on tap for Monday, September 10, with the finale Arabians. Post time for the card is 1:15 p.m. Some horses to watch:

Race 3 – Maiden claiming

  • Two-year-old maidens will go 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track at the $25,000 claiming level.
  • On the one hand, trainer Gary Capuano, who has a coupled entry and one other horse in here, doesn’t win much with first-time starters (five percent, including 0-for-22 when debuting for a tag). On the other: #1a Stormin Hongkong (8-1), certainly seems to be bred to fire early. His two half-sibs to race both won at two, one winning at first asking, the other finishing third on debut before graduating next out. Out of the Broken Vow mare Hongkong Tour, this guy is a gelding by Buffum. He’s been training well enough towards his debut and will have Johan Rosado in the irons.
  • His last effort wasn’t much to write home about, but two back #4 Biletnikoff (7-2) gave a perfectly credible accounting of himself against better. Even better: that was over the Delaware Park strip and on a wet track, which he’s likely to catch again here. The NJ-bred, trained by Kelly Breen, will have Keiber Coa up.
  • Selections: 4-6-3-1a

 

Race 7 – Allowance/optional claiming

  • Three-year-olds and up will go 1 1/8 miles, scheduled for the turf, in a first-level allowance with an optional claiming tag of $16,000. If the races comes off the grass as expected, it will be contested at 1 1/8 miles on the main track.
  • Trainer Jorge Navarro is hitting at a 37 percent clips this year — and 50 percent at Delaware Park. He has three entered on Monday, including #6 Donji (5-2) in this race. This one enters off a win on the grass against lesser but his dirt form is less promising: a record of 21-1-8-3. Journeyman rider Jose Ferrer, who won the just-completed Monmouth meet, will do the honors.
  • Trainer King T. Leatherbury needs one win to hit 6,500 in his amazing career, and he’ll try to get it here with #7 Chateau de Vizille (6-1). While this Jazil gelding has done his best work on the lawn, his dirt form — though winless — isn’t all that bad, either. He ran second three back in an off-the-turf allowance at Laurel Park, and his breeding suggests 1 1/8 miles shouldn’t be beyond his scope. Rosario Montanez will ride.
  • #10 Stadium (12-1), a main-track only entrant, is entered here for the tag and arrives off a win against beaten claiming types last out. That was his first in the Jamie Ness barn, and today, as last out, he’ll have Brian Pedroza up. Pedroza and Ness have won with 36 percent of their starters together in the last 60 days and with a positive ROI. This Majestic Warrior colt has won three of six dirt starts, including both tries on off tracks.
  • Selections: 10-6-7-1

 

 

ARABIAN WATCH

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

This is an interesting mix of horses and difficult to pick. Mystical MHF, who last ran in the Delaware Park Arabian Classic H. (Gr.1) at 1 1/4 miles shortens back to 6 furlongs and could definitely win if he’s on. Tiffanys Dream, with Carol Cedeno aboard, is a high quality filly, but she’s taking on the boys for the first time. Captain Bush is also a tough runner who won at this distance last time out, although against a lesser quality field. A wild card here is Sergeant Pepper MHF, who hasn’t run since last October at Delaware Park. At age 10, he’s earned over $100,000, and if he’s fit and ready, could pick up a piece of the purse.