DEL: Owners Day stakes * The Racing Biz

DEL: Owners Day stakes

The Biz
September 12, 2026

Delaware Park’s Owners Day weekend festivities continue Saturday with a pair of big-money handicaps. Friday’s card featured a half-dozen events for Delaware certified runners.

Featured today are the $100,000 DTHA Governors Day at a mile and 70 yards for three-year-olds and up and the $100,000 George Rosenberger Memorial for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles on the lawn. Both are restricted to runners that have started at Delaware Park this year.

We asked our AI for its thoughts. Here’s what it came up with:

This article contains affiliate links. If you click and buy, we may earn a commission at no extra charge to you.

Get tickets now!

Pick up reliable and rewarding tickets for major events!

DTHA GOVERNORS DAY

AI says…

I’d rank them 5-3-7-6-4-2. And with Tracking Error listed at 8-1, that’s the horse I’d want to bet.

Tracking Error (#5) has won his last two, both at Delaware, and his Aug. 21 win came against a $62,000 claiming/allowance field. He also owns a 92 lifetime-best Beyer figure and has a very favorable 62 Early/102 Late TimeformUS pace profile. That suggests he’ll be doing his best running late.

Majorca (#3)’s five wins in seven starts this year are impressive. But his latest race at Colonial was a significant step backward: he pressed the pace and faded to sixth, earning only a 74 Beyer figure.

Mr. Ripple (#7) is probably the most interesting horse to use with them. He’s never been worse than second in three tries at Delaware and comes off a 12-length romp, although that came against much softer company.

Freedom Road (#6) could be dangerous if the pace isn’t too demanding. He’s another horse with excellent Delaware form with 4 wins and 2 seconds from six starts but his recent figures aren’t quite as strong as Tracking Error’s.

GEORGE ROSENBERGER MEMORIAL

Ai says…

I land on #10 Souper Williwaw as the horse to beat, with #9 Mopo the main threat and #4 Kindred Hearts the most interesting alternative.

#10 Souper Williwaw has the best combination of current form, class and figures. She’s 3-for-6 at the distance and won her only Delaware start, plus she arrives off a win in the Violet Stakes at Monmouth Park. She has won four of 10 turf starts and three of six at this distance, and her TimeformUS pace profile—93 Early/91 Late—is unusually balanced for this group.

#9 Mopo is the one I’m most concerned about. Her recent record is excellent: three wins and two seconds from five starts this year. She won the Jameela at Laurel with a 90 Beyer speed figure, was second in the Incredible Revenge at Monmouth, and then overcame a slow break to win her most recent Delaware start. That latest victory came at 7½ furlongs, but she has already shown that a route is within her range, finishing second at 1 1/16 miles at Colonial last year. Her 104 Early figure makes her particularly interesting if she gets a favorable stalking trip.

#4 Kindred Hearts is my price horse. She has won three of seven starts this year, including a Delaware victory at 7½ furlongs, and most recently rallied from well back to win a two-turn race at Penn. Her Beyer figures aren’t quite as impressive as the top two, but her 71 Early/82 Late profile fits a race in which several horses could be more forwardly placed. She’s also won five of 10 on turf.

#3 J Candy deserves respect despite being lightly raced. She’s been first and third in two tries on turf at Delaware this year and just beat #2 Sophie’s Cruiser in the Peach Blossom, with a good trip. Sophie’s Cruiser, meanwhile, has legitimate back class and could improve third off a freshening, but she has faded after setting the pace in her last two.

#5 Flowers for Me is usable underneath. She has some solid turf route form, including a 2025 race at Aqueduct that earned an 88 figure, but her recent numbers have been a notch below the best here. #6 Starship Athena is another possibility after winning her Delaware route debut, though her overall figures don’t match the top contenders. #12 Expecting a Winner is a legitimate late-running exotics horse, but her 77 lifetime figure leaves her needing another step forward.

My ranking

10-9-4-3-2-5-6-12-1