• CARRYOVERS: None
• POST TIME: 12:40 P.M.
• NUMBER OF RACES: 8

RACE 1: 8-7-1-9

Loved the debut for #8 The Answer, who pressed a 3-5 favorite into defeat but couldn’t hold off a trip-sitting rival; plenty of upside… Abrupt drop for #7 Brisk Alley, but a repeat of that initial outing makes him a contender… #1 Uniqueness has figs that say he should win but hasn’t made much impact in his races…

RACE 2: 7-1-8-2

#1 Dee’s On Dow looks like the main speed in this spot, but we’re thinking #7 Irish Jig can do the stalk-and-pounce thing; she beat some awfully tough rivals in her first try against older in the Tax Free Shopping…

RACE 3: 2-7-1-4

#2 Katz On Fire showed little in her debut, and trainer Gary Capuano gave her some time to regroup before this spot; caught a tough field in that first outing, with all four to run back finishing in the triple next time, and Capuano is a gaudy 8-for-15 with two-year-olds going out for their second start and in maiden claiming company… #7 Just a Smooch debuts for an Ashby barn that can win first out and is by a great win-early sire in Great Notion; worktab is fine… #1 Pining ran fine in her debut against special weight company…

RACE 4: 3-10-7-8

Trainer Joe Orseno liked #3 Aye Eye enough to run him in the Hopeful and Champagne last year, both Grade 1 events, in which he managed to run into 2-year-old champ Ted Noffey and this year’s Preakness winner Napoleon Solo; makes second start of the year while returning to dirt, and we’re thinking second time with Lasix on is a plus…#10 Nothing Personal paints a somewhat similar picture: a strong debut followed by a middling effort in a graded stakes; this one hasn’t started since, though, and that’s over a year ago, and history is demonstrating that last year’s Iroquois probably goes on the short list of the worst graded stakes ever run…

RACE 5: Off the turf

Picks: 2-8-3-1

RACE 6: Battery Park Stakes

Picks: 4-2-5-6

A year ago, #4 Cooke Creek ran OK in his first start off the bench and then came to Delaware to win this race, a sequence he’s trying to repeat here; speedy sort should be sitting one-two early, and if not leading, will get first run… #2 Barbadian Runner remains about the coolest story in the game, and a top three finish will make him a millionaire; not blaming him for his off-color outing in the G2 CT Classic because of the troubled trip, but we are concerned there may not be enough pace to let him unleash to best effect… #5 Bendoog has fashioned a million-dollar career and has ultra-competitive speed figs, but under Mott’s tutelage, he’s been cautiously handled with only occasional forays into stakes company; on the other hand, when you run into the likes of Saudi Crown and Stronghold, who needs stakes?

RACE 7: Rocky Run Stakes

Picks: 2-3-8-4

Good-looking debut win for #2 Fez, who made a quick move to the front after sitting off it; he’s been gelded since, and his breeding says this added ground is exactly what he wants… #3 Westbound Cat inhaled his rivals with ease in his prior two-turn trip, and the return to routing should be a big plus… Brad Cox trainees, like #8 Hammerin Henry, have been in the money in nine of 10 starts at Delaware; bested NY-breds with ease to graduate after a hassle-free trip… #4 Earth Song is cross-entered at Belmont after crushing two rivals at MTH to graduate…

RACE 8: White Clay Creek Stakes

Picks: 1-9-4-2

Trust us: we never do this… but we’re gonna take a long look at the maiden #1 Spectacular Sam, who gets blinkers on for this contest; after just missing in an Ellis Park maiden event, she ran second in the Sorority at Monmouth Park, an effort that was seriously flattered when winner Emphatic bested Spinaway winner Summer Starlet in the G1 Alcibiades Oct. 2…#9 Girvy Girl won at first asking by the length of the stretch but was never much involved when sixth in the Spinaway; which Girvy Girl do we get today? #4 Martiniwithatwist has been improving with each start, last time edging next-out winner Olivia’s Legacy in the Small Wonder, and there’s enough stamina in the breeding to support the added ground…

RACE 9: Off the turf

Picks: 3-10-11-13

RACE 10: Grade 3 Delaware Handicap

Picks: 6-4-5-8

Thinking that #6 Margie’s Intention may fly under the radar a bit and might get a good setup here; she’s a Grade 2 winner, and while she clearly isn’t on the same level as horses like Nitrogen and Fully Subscribed, neither are any of these; looks for a stalk-and-pounce type of trip but is a bit more tactical than defending champ #4 Regaled, who hasn’t won since her ’25 DelCap tour de force but was third in the Breeder’s Cup Distaff and has been a close-up second in a pair of Grade 2 events, even finishing ahead of the aforementioned Nitrogen in one of them; best makes her tough, but she’ll need a lively pace to aim at… That sure was a big outing from #5 Eunomia last out, going up to be part of the pace and then holding on late to win the G1 Clement Hirsch, but none of five to run back has won their follow-ups, and it sure felt like that 8.5 furlongs was at the outer edge of her distance capabilities, which could pose a problem today… #8 Nerazurri finished just ahead of our top choice last out when a distant third in the Personal Ensign and does own a win at the trip but seeks her first graded triumph….