Delaware Park Racing Notebook 2018: Vol. 19

by | Oct 10, 2018 | Breaking, DE Racing, Delaware, Racing, Top Stories

Elate won the G2 Delaware Handicap. Photo by Allison Janezic.

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

  • MIND THE GAP – This one broke slowly, then had to weed his way through traffic through the second turn, and finally was in tight briefly inside in the stretch. A better break should make this one more competitive next out.
  • SCREEN IMAGE – Squatted down and lost action behind briefly at the start of a recent turf route and then came extremely wide with a middle move through the second turn and into the stretch.
  • TAPIT TOGETHER – This one was listed earlier in the meeting in the Horses to Watch section and returns today after running up horses’ heels and being forced to check up in the second turn in a route race October 4. She tried to make a run at the leaders, but her earlier troubles cost her momentum and she wound up third. This regally bred Augustin runner will win soon with a clean trip.
  • MORE THAN TEDDY – Made a middle move against a slow pace and loomed a threat before hanging in deep stretch. Should be tough if in a race with some speed to produce an honest pace next start.

CLOCKERS’ CORNER

  • BIRD OF TREY – Worked a quick five furlongs in 1:00 for trainer Carlos Milian on 10/01, tying for best of seven horses working that distance. Looking ready to improve on third place finish at Parx last time out.
  • FASHION FAUX PAS – Unraced 2-year-old filly by Flatter turned in a solid five-furlong move of 1:01.80 on October 2, fastest of seven at the distance, and bounced back with another bullet October 9, going a half in 47 4/5.
  • VEIL DANCE – This Scott Lake trainee finished sixth in her last start at Delaware Park, but improvement should be expected next out if her :48.60 half mile move on October 7, best of 28 horses working that distance, is any indication.

 

 

JOCKEYS AND TRAINERS

It was a competitive week in the riders’ ranks for the period between October 39. as five different jockeys won four races. That list included Carol Cedeno, Angel Suarez, Keiber Coa and Jose Angel Garcia

Most notable among the quintet was Augusto Marin. Marin is having his best Delaware meeting to date this season, with 29 winners and last week the four horses he rode to victory averaged a whopping $38.50 mutuel payoff. Known as one of the hardest working riders in the morning, Marin’s success has been boosted by riding the bulk of veteran horseman Michael Gorham’s string.

Jeremy Rose hasn’t been riding a lot of horses this meeting but when he has he’s been competitive. Last week Rose only accepted four mounts, but he won with two of those horses while finishing second on another.

With the turf course closed for the meet, the meet leader by wins was Angel Suarez, who scored with 13 of 72 mounts on the grass. Two riders who had notable turf success with fewer opportunities were Daniel Centeno (nine-for-40) and Feargal Lynch (eight-for-30).

Cedeno maintains a clear lead in our jockey rankings (at right), well ahead of Lynch and Centeno. Marin and Suarez round out the top five.

RANK
JOCKEY
TOTAL POINTS
WINS
WIN PCT.
EARNINGS/START
$2 ROI
1Cedeno Carol306.849224.47%$4,095.97$1.59
2Lynch Feargal268.671224.49%$7,562.39$1.68
3Centeno Daniel261.092523.81%$5,879.95$1.78
4Marin Augusto A252.842619.85%$3,292.14$3.02
5Suarez Angel245.466619.08%$3,321.92$1.57
6Rosado Johan229.341820.93%$4,242.67$2.06
7Torres Jomar221.081320.00%$6,019.03$1.38
8Hamilton Weston213.331219.05%$5,308.00$1.58
9Pedroza Brian211.031521.74%$4,657.61$1.34
10Toledo Jevian207.21717.07%$4,663.78$2.06
11Cintron Alex189.831914.73%$4,790.36$1.38
12Pino Mario G188.071514.56%$4,586.12$1.56
13Rose Jeremy183.34914.52%$4,185.60$1.78
14Gutierrez Reylu173.24720.59%$3,213.38$1.18
15Coa Keiber J172.913812.71%$2,589.83$1.37
16Vargas Jr Jorge A172.531014.49%$4,595.10$1.26
17Garcia Jose Angel170.882913.12%$2,706.25$1.51
18Mccarthy Trevor169.092315.44%$3,775.84$0.94
19Panell Dyn147.11812.50%$2,450.47$1.66
20Ortega Jomar143.431413.46%$1,844.18$1.48
21Montanez Rosario135.74412.90%$2,646.29$1.32
22Acosta J D133.99411.43%$3,320.29$1.18
23Uske Shannon119.161310.08%$1,625.89$1.28
24Paz Robert109.3767.69%$1,271.03$1.65
25Betancourt Jose R108.19107.19%$1,318.00$1.53
26Quiles Antonio96.521010.00%$1,862.39$0.61
27Powell Ryan88.3146.78%$1,510.20$1.10
28Rodriguez Pablo81.07107.52%$1,534.96$0.58
29Lara Ezequiel75.5135.00%$1,365.75$1.02
30Halliday Vince51.8511.96%$779.31$0.98
RANK
TRAINER
TOTAL POINTS
WINS
WIN PCT.
EARNINGS/START
$2 ROI
1Ness Jamie247.943624.83%$4,420$1.32
2Lake Scott A150.151915.45%$2,335$1.14
3Bennett Gerald S182.072016.81%$3,243$1.66
4Potts Wayne131.561413.08%$2,649$1.06
5Gorham Michael E211.861920.88%$3,983$2.14
6Galvan Baltazar111.0589.30%$2,273$1.36
7Torrez Jerenesto225.682430.00%$4,010$1.42
8Stauffer Sr Arthur F86.8256.49%$1,312$1.40
9Pecoraro Anthony261.642330.26%$5,769$2.04
10Cruz Jesus98.21710.45%$2,572$0.84
11Powell Mark K66.1757.69%$1,193$0.68
12Hobson Simon91.0669.38%$1,666$1.10
13Neilson Wallace C103.00711.48%$1,430$1.32
14Gaffney Hubert54.3335.00%$1,319$0.64
15Carrasco Jr Victor168.251220.69%$2,880$1.76
16Simoff Andrew L141.891119.30%$3,230$0.98
17Diaz Jorge148.7658.77%$1,285$3.24
18Ashby Lynn A255.411832.73%$6,811$1.73
19Motion H Graham181.691018.52%$6,130$1.40
20Wasiluk Jr Peter140.10714.29%$2,347$1.98
21Raymond Robert A130.17612.24%$2,079$2.00
22Capuano Gary220.461122.92%$7,114$1.88
23Gonzalez Claudio A294.141634.04%$9,211$2.22
24McMahon Hugh I170.35817.78%$3,542$2.18
25Cronk Samuel F112.85511.11%$2,183$1.58
26Rigattieri John130.99715.91%$3,255$1.24
27Delacour Arnaud276.331431.82%$7,490$2.60
28Proctor Thomas F167.72819.05%$5,920$1.16
29Capuano Dale240.101025.64%$7,330$2.32
30Powell Scott183.11821.05%$2,633$2.66
31Magee Kieron175.641026.32%$4,371$1.22
32Epley Jr Steve100.89410.53%$2,944$1.06
33Ritchey Timothy F142.88718.92%$4,258$1.04
34Rodriguez Jose S131.17514.29%$2,263$1.90
35Sienkewicz William M68.8139.68%$1,796$0.58
36Rubley Kelly141.38516.13%$4,334$1.36
37Navarro Jorge247.181341.94%$6,250$1.40
38Stidham Michael169.64620.00%$5,206$1.58

Five trainers won a pair of races last week, with three of them — Lynn Ashby, Tom Proctor, and Jerenesto Torrez — going two-for-two. Other two-time winners were Michael Gorham and Anthony Pecoraro.

Trainer Jamie Ness has a big lead by wins, with his 36 wins to date 12 more than any other trainer has recorded. He’s also six-for-20 on the now-shuttered turf course. But top turf trainer honors at the meet go to Arnaud Delacour; he won with 10 of 33 grass starters. Proctor and Ness each had six turf wins.

The trainer rankings are crowded, as each of the top 10 has between 211 points (Gorham) and 295 points (leader Claudio Gonzalez). Others in the trainers’ top five include Delacour, Pecoraro, Ashby, and Ness.

TRACK BIAS REPORT

Power of Snunner

Power of Snunner won the 2017 Obeah at Delaware Park. Photo by Kathleen O’Leary.

  • 10/03 – The track played reasonably fair for the mid-week return to racing with horses racing from the two to the four paths seeming to travel the best.
  • 10/04 – The main track surface was a bit dull on Thursday with the inside portion playing dull and tiring. Most horses who had success made outside moves through the final turn into the stretch.
  • 10/06 – The main strip continued to be a bit on the dull side with closers and stalkers finding the most success. There were some wire-to-wire winners but those came in races with slow paces.
  • 10/08 – The track seemed a bit quicker on Monday and as is usually the case when the track tightens up, speed and close up runners had a bit of an advantage.