Temple City Terror heads testy G3 Dick Memorial
Dalika won’t be back to defend her title, but the place and show horses from last year’s $200,000 Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial both return to do battle in this year’s renewal at Delaware Park this Saturday. The mile and three-eighths turf affair for fillies and mares has attracted a field of ten. The Robert G. Dick Memorial has been carded as the sixth race with an approximate post time of 3:00 p.m.
Pocket Aces Racing’s Temple City Terror finished third in the 2021 Dick and is the 3-1 morning line choice this year.
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In her most recent, the 6-year-old daughter of Temple City, posted a half-length triumph in the mile-and-a-half $160,000 Keertana Stakes over the Churchill Downs turf course on May 28. In her only other outing this season, the Kentucky-bred finished fifth in a turf allowance at Keeneland on April 14.
She has recorded three works since her Keertana triumph. Among those was a bullet five-furlong move in 1:00 1/5 June 23 at Churchill.
“She came out of her race at Churchill Downs in good shape and her workouts since have been solid, so we are pretty confident she is going to run a good race on Saturday,” said trainer Brendan Walsh. “Considering her recent form and her experience, this should be a really good for spot for her.”
Last year, Temple City Terror won the the Keertana Stakes at Churchill Downs before running third in the Robert G. Dick Memorial. She followed by closing her 2021 campaign with a third in the Grade 2 Glenn Falls at Saratoga. Before making any plans beyond Saturday though, her connections are focused on the Robert G. Dick Memorial.
“We will see how Saturday goes first,” Walsh said. “The main thing is she is doing good coming into this race and we hope she runs a good race. Maybe we can go one or two better than we did last year in this race. That is what we are thinking about now.”
Temple City Terror has a career record of five wins, four seconds, and five thirds from 24 starts with earnings of $435,718. Umberto Rispoli will ride.
Luck Money, trained by Arnaud Delacour for owner-breeder Dr. Catherine Wills, finished second by a length in last year’s Dick. That was part of a bit of a tough luck campaign in which she finished second three times in six starts without winning.
Her 2022 starts have been less promising, however, and Luck Money is 6-1 on the morning line. She was second, but beaten by 14 lengths, in a four-horse edition of the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay in May and the finished fifth, beaten by 10 lengths, in the Keertana.
Mychel Sanchez is named.
Frequent Delaware winner Graham Motion will send Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Sister Otoole (10-1) postward in the Dick. Remarkably, he has won the Robert G. Dick Memorial eight of the 25 renewals. He won the Robert G. Dick with Guilty Twelve (2017), Real Smart (2016), Caprice (2009), Rosinka (2007), Alternate (2003 and 2004), New Economy (2002) and Bursting Forth (1999).
Sister Otoole brings a career record of two wins, four seconds and three thirds from 15 starts with earnings of $198,032 into the race. She had a disastrous outing last time when thrashed in the Sheepshead Bay but may not have relished the yielding course. Prior, she was beaten just two lengths when fourth in the Grade 3 Orchid at Gulstream Park.
Kendrick Carmouche will ride Sister Otoole.
While Sister Otoole is one of four entered in the Dick to have placed in a graded stake, only one slated to face the starter has won such a race. That’s La Lune (5-1), who was third last out in the Keertana.
La Lune won the Group 3 Pinnacle Stakes in Great Britain in May 2021 for her top victory. However, the Edward Vaughan trainee is winless in five North American starts.
Angel Suarez will ride.
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