Delaware Park 2019 horses to watch: July 8
by Frank Vespe
Delaware Park has an eight-race card lined up today. Some horses to watch:
Race 1 – Maiden special weight
- Two-year-olds will go 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track.
- In a race full of modestly priced sorts, #2 Sense of Justice (9-5) stands out. The Pennsylvania-bred Street Sense colt was a $350,000 auction purchase for Godolphin LLC. He’s out of the winning Bernardini mare Mahkama and is a half-brother to the stakes winner Yulong Warrior, who’s earned over $250,000. This guy has been training forwardly — including a bullet half-mile July 2 — for a barn that can win first out of the box.
- Selections: 2-3-6-5
Race 7 – Allowance/optional claiming
- Fillies and mares three-years-old and up will go six furlongs on the main track in a second-level allowance with an optional claiming tag of $35,000.
- Trainer Jamie Ness wisely scratched #1 Our Super Freak (9-5) out of yesterday’s G3 Delaware Oaks — entry mate Gotta Be Strong finished last at 20-1 — and finds a much more congenial spot to land in in this allowance contest. This Mineshaft filly has run in eight consecutive stakes, placing in seven of them without a win, and last out was second, but beaten by 14 by Fashion Faux Pas in the Light Hearted. That winner returned to be a distant second in the Oaks. Our Super Freak has two wins and two seconds at this sprint distance and should appreciate getting out of stakes company; she has two wins and a second from four starts outside of stakes company.
- Her first foray into stakes company was a disaster, but #4 Proud Mandate (7-2) hasn’t done anything wrong outside of that. Last time out in the Light Hearted, this Keith Nations trainee came in last, beaten by 31 lengths, but she won the first two starts of her career, including an allowance score at Parx Racing two back. She should appreciate getting back to a sprint distance and will have Daniel Centeno in the irons.
- Selections: 4-1-2-5
Arabian Watch
Thanks to Stephanie Ruff and Arabian Finish Line for giving us insights to the Arabian racing at Delaware Park.
No Arabian race today.
#2 is a scratch in the opener. Too bad, Sense of Justice would have taken a lot of money. Stidham 0/5 with 1st time starters on dirt for Godolphin in last 5 years. Your 2nd choice, Jack the umpire, is my pick. Dam was trainers best horse and won 1st out. Has 16 sib who ran well 1st out at Keenland for Ben Colebrook. And has 2015 filly 1//2 sib out of, Heza Fast Dash. That sire is a quarter horse, and that filly, Standing at the Bar, broke her maiden yesterday at Delta Downs. She ran 550 yards in 27.5 seconds. I’m guessing their is speed in this family! Oh well, thought I would get 6-1 on #3, but that’s out the window with Stidhams horse scratching.