Masen (GB), a Juddmonte-bred son of Kingman, will make his Delaware Park debut in Sunday’s $100,000 Wilmington Stakes, bringing a mix of proven turf class and a recent resurgence on dirt. Now trained by Kerri Raven for owner Nicole Szabo, the 7-year-old gelding enters with six career wins and more than $535,000 in earnings.

Masen has demonstrated plenty of talent. He captured five races on turf earlier in his career, including a win in the Grade 3 Poker, a second in the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile, and a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Fourstardave. Those wins were back in ’22, though, and this year, after some fits and starts around injuries, he’s done all his work on dirt.

Racing at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, British Columbia, Masen recorded a win and two thirds from four starts. Shipped to Emerald Downs for the Longacres Mile, he led early at long odds before fading in late stages to finish sixth in a race Raven says can be tossed.

“They had some issues before the race, where the jockey wanted to unsaddle him, wasn’t happy with the way the saddle was, and took him behind the gate and tried to get the gate crew to re-saddle,” Raven explained. “And, you know, that got the horse really nervous and everything.”

That arguably off-color outing didn’t deter the Szabos, however.

“[A start in the Wilmington Stakes] was, the owners were looking for a spot somewhere in the Mid-Atlantic when they brought him over,” Raven said. “And first they eyeballed Parx, and then that race came up really tough. And so they decided on this race just to give him a shot, to give him a shot to see what he can do in a stake on the dirt.”

Masen has only been in the barn a week or so, but Raven, who has been galloping him herself since he joined her barn, is eager to see him back in action.

Raven praised former trainer Craig MacPherson for sending him in “fantastic shape,” and she likes the way Masen has adapted to Delaware.

“He’s strong. He really grabs the bridle. He gets over this surface without a doubt, without a problem,” she said.

It’s no easy spot: among those entered are near-millionaire Super Chow, the up-and-coming St. Jude, multiple stakes winner Comedy Town, and Grade 3 winner My Buddy B.

Raven thinks her newest pupil will run well, but she also has an ace in the hole if not: a potential return to grass, the surface on which he’s earned more than a half-million dollars.

“I’m definitely excited to see what he can do on the grass. He’s an amazing feeling horse,” she said. “When I saw he was a Kingman, and I saw his back form, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t wait to get him on the grass again and see him fly.’”