Delaware Park 2019 horses to watch: September 30

by Frank Vespe | Sep 30, 2019 | Breaking, DE Racing, Delaware, Handicapping | 2 comments

Photo by HoofprintsInc.com.

Delaware Park has a nine-race card lined up for Monday, September 30. Some horses to watch:

Race 2 — Claiming

Three-year-olds and up that have never won three races will go 1 mile on the turf at the $12,500 claiming level.
You’ll need to get paid if you bet #6 Red Clay Road (15-1) and he wins, but chances are, you will. In addition to his long morning line odds, he’s been at least 20-1 in every race on the page. So why’s he make our list? He has excuses in three of his last four — faced much better four back, hopped at the start and then rushed up before tiring three back, was outfooted going 5 1/2 furlongs last time out. But look at his race two back: he finished fourth, beaten about three lengths, at the $16,000 level after disputing the pace for most of the way. He finished four lengths clear of the horse with whom he dueled, and that ended up being a fast race; for all of about two races, it was the track record at the distance. And it seems to have been validated by subsequent events: winner English Tudor returned to be second in an allowance race on Saturday, and runner-up Panama Papers won at this level next time out. Stretched back out to a route distance, look for this one to bounce back and give a good account of himself.
Selections: 6-1-10-2

Race 7 — Maiden claiming

Maidens three years-old and up will go 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf at the $40,000 claiming level.
As a two-year-old in training last March, #2 Championship Alley (6-1) — by Broken Vow out of a winning Dixie Union mare — brought a winning bid of $180,000. It’s all gone sideways since, though. He was 24-1 when he made his debut last September at Belmont and ran like it, finishing seventh of eight while beaten 29 lengths. He hasn’t made a start since — over a year now — and has been transferred from Christophe Clement’s barn to that of Kelsey Danner at Monmouth Park. Today he shows up here, for $40,000. We’re inclined to take a wait-and-see attitude, betting-wise, but are curious to see how he performs today.
The Jason Servis-trained #6 Mystery Guest (3-1) is certainly bred to like the turf (by Giant’s Causeway out of a Distorted Humor mare), and when he made his debut, just over a year ago, he did so on the green stuff and went off favored, though he finished third. He’s made only a single start since, however, that coming last month when he finished sixth on the main track. He switches back to what should be his preferred surface, and with that run in the bank, he can move forward today.
Sneaky-good effort last out for #10 Bickley (10-1). The Fenneka Bentley trainee, making his first start in two months, made a middle move to reach contention before flattening out to finish fourth in a maiden special weight event at Parx Racing. He previously had been beaten less than a length at that same level here at Delaware Park. Dropped into maiden claiming company for the first time today, the son of Flashback owns the right to improve.
Selections: 10-6-7-2