DELAWARE: JOYRUNNER HEADS WHITE CLAY CREEK
With five stakes winners already, Gun Runner has surged to the top of the first-crop sire list this year. Wednesday he could see a sixth added to the roster.
His daughter Joyrunner is the 9-5 morning line favorite in Delaware Park’s $50,000 White Clay Creek Stakes October 13. The one-mile test goes as the seventh race, with a projected post time of 4:15.
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Trained by Laura Wohlers for James “Mattress Mack” Mcingvale, Joyrunner owns a spotless two-for-two record, having won twice at Indiana Grand. She was last early and well off the lead in her debut July 8 before rallying smartly down the middle of the track to win going away.
Six weeks later, as the even-money favorite, she was up close early before drawing away to win by eight lengths under jockey Joseph Ramos.
Ramos is in for the mount – his only one on the card – and while Joyrunner has finished both her starts with a flourish indicating she’ll go farther, the one knock on her is that she has yet to race beyond six furlongs. Her breeding – both her sire and dam, the Pure Prize mare Joy, did their best work around two turns – also indicates that she’ll stretch out.
Joyrunner was bred in Maryland by Dark Hollow Farm.
While Joyrunner has not raced around two turns, three of her rivals in the eight-horse field have, and all have victories at a mile or beyond.
Style (5-2), a Peter Blum homebred trained by Arnaud Delacour, won at second asking going a mile 70 yards over the Delaware Park turf last out. By Union Rags out of the unraced Afleet Alex mare Miss Drake, Style will try the main track for the first time in today’s contest. Daniel Centeno will ride.
Paynt by Number (10-1) and Mining Chrome (10-1) both won at first asking going a mile 70 yards over the Delaware main track, and both did so in front-running fashion. The former, trained by Ben Perkins, Jr., will have Mychel Sanchez in the irons, while the latter, a Gerald Bennett trainee, will have Roberto Alvarado, Jr.
The lone horse with a prior stakes win on her resume is Cashing Big Checks (4-1). The Jamie Ness trainee posted a narrow victory in the Delaware-certified Blue Hen Stakes two back to break her maiden. She was fourth in the Small Wonder on Owners’ Day. Leading jockey Jaime Rodriguez will ride.
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