Opening day at DE hard to beat for atmosphere
May 14, 2013 12:34:33 GMT -5
Post by racinggal on May 14, 2013 12:34:33 GMT -5
Opening day at Delaware Park hard to beat for atmosphere
By Dick Jerardi
If you are not at Pimlico on Saturday for the Preakness, you could not find a much better place to be than Delaware Park for opening day. The paddock and the Grove, enveloped by trees and old school in every way, are impossible to resist. As the 76th meet begins, it is comforting to know that the track’s signature race, the Delaware Handicap, has been returned to much-deserved Grade 1 status for the first time since 1989.
The $750,000 Del Cap, for older fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles, will be run July 20. It is hoped that Royal Delta will be back to defend her 2012 Del Cap title.
Some serious trainers will be at the meeting, which is scheduled to run through Oct. 7. They include Jamie Ness, Mac Robertson, Juan Vazquez, Tim Ritchey, Scott Lake, Michael Pino, Jonathan Sheppard, and Graham Motion.
“We are going to have about 55 horses at Delaware Park,” Robertson said. “We are going to have a lot of 2-year-olds this season. A lot of my horses got claimed here last year, so I got a lot of 2-year-olds for this season. I have about 50 2-year-olds, so I will split them evenly between my three divisions at Arlington, Canterbury, and here. I want nice young horses. Everyone wants a nice 2-year-old that can run, so we are hoping we can come up with a few that can really run.”
Robertson also will have the amazing 7-year-old Win Willy, who is just shy of $1 million in 31 starts, including 10 wins, four at Delaware, three of them in stakes.
“The horses really do good here,” Robertson said. “They eat well here, and the track has a nice relaxed atmosphere. The dirt track was in great shape last year, there is a turf gallop, and there is grass to graze on. It is a pretty horse-friendly track, probably one of the most horse-friendly tracks in the country.”
Vazquez was leading trainer at Delaware in 2010 and 2011 before finishing second to Ness in 2012. Vasquez is going to have 60 or so horses at the track.
“I have been coming to Delaware Park since 2001,” Vasquez said. “This is my house, so I certainly want to do well.”
He will have to do very well if he is going to unseat Ness, who is closing in on 100 wins nationally in 2013 and pretty much owned the 2012 Delaware standings with 57 wins and 35 percent winners.
www.drf.com/news/dick-jerardi-opening-day-delaware-park-hard-beat-atmosphere
Photo: Tom LaMarraThe paddock at Delaware Park
By Dick Jerardi
If you are not at Pimlico on Saturday for the Preakness, you could not find a much better place to be than Delaware Park for opening day. The paddock and the Grove, enveloped by trees and old school in every way, are impossible to resist. As the 76th meet begins, it is comforting to know that the track’s signature race, the Delaware Handicap, has been returned to much-deserved Grade 1 status for the first time since 1989.
The $750,000 Del Cap, for older fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles, will be run July 20. It is hoped that Royal Delta will be back to defend her 2012 Del Cap title.
Some serious trainers will be at the meeting, which is scheduled to run through Oct. 7. They include Jamie Ness, Mac Robertson, Juan Vazquez, Tim Ritchey, Scott Lake, Michael Pino, Jonathan Sheppard, and Graham Motion.
“We are going to have about 55 horses at Delaware Park,” Robertson said. “We are going to have a lot of 2-year-olds this season. A lot of my horses got claimed here last year, so I got a lot of 2-year-olds for this season. I have about 50 2-year-olds, so I will split them evenly between my three divisions at Arlington, Canterbury, and here. I want nice young horses. Everyone wants a nice 2-year-old that can run, so we are hoping we can come up with a few that can really run.”
Robertson also will have the amazing 7-year-old Win Willy, who is just shy of $1 million in 31 starts, including 10 wins, four at Delaware, three of them in stakes.
“The horses really do good here,” Robertson said. “They eat well here, and the track has a nice relaxed atmosphere. The dirt track was in great shape last year, there is a turf gallop, and there is grass to graze on. It is a pretty horse-friendly track, probably one of the most horse-friendly tracks in the country.”
Vazquez was leading trainer at Delaware in 2010 and 2011 before finishing second to Ness in 2012. Vasquez is going to have 60 or so horses at the track.
“I have been coming to Delaware Park since 2001,” Vasquez said. “This is my house, so I certainly want to do well.”
He will have to do very well if he is going to unseat Ness, who is closing in on 100 wins nationally in 2013 and pretty much owned the 2012 Delaware standings with 57 wins and 35 percent winners.
www.drf.com/news/dick-jerardi-opening-day-delaware-park-hard-beat-atmosphere
Photo: Tom LaMarraThe paddock at Delaware Park
