Head to Head: Here are 2 takes on Monday’s Delaware Oaks

Laurie

Ashley

1. Regaled (15-1)

After four starts in quick succession, Regaled ran out of oats in her last start against optional claimers. The one run closer was 16 lengths out of it at the start and closed late to finish fourth, beating two rivals. Conditioned by Sam Davis, Regaled’s Brisnet speed ratings hover in the mid-80s. The one-paced closer does her best work skimming the rail, and her late-pace figures are some of the best in the Delaware Oaks. However, the flaw is that Forest Boyce rides Regaled like she’s Zenyatta, taking her from 12 to 16 lengths off the pace. This tactic didn’t work in the last start when the pace was faster than her three previous outings, and she was left with too much to do. Pass.

Trained by Samuel Davis, Regaled ships in from Maryland, where she’s put together a 5: 2-0-0 record. She enters off a fourth-place effort in a lower-level optional claimer. The upside to this filly is that her Equibase speed figures have improved with each start, and she’s 3: 2-0-0 at the 1 1/16-mile distance. On the other hand, Davis and jockey Forest Boyce have been on a colt streak over the last month. Davis has no graded stakes wins to his name and hasn’t even had a graded stakes starter in the last five years, per Race Lens. Pass.

2. Call Another Play (8-1)

Call Another Play drafted behind the speed in the 1 1/8 mile Black Eyed Susan (G3), faced a wall of horses at the top of the stretch, and ran evenly to the finish line while between horses, missing the photo for second by a neck. The Michael Trombetta trainee earned a career-best 90 Equibase speed rating, and her late-pace figure is second highest in the field at 91. Contender.

Trained by Michael Trombetta, Call Another Play enters off a third place finish in the Black-Eyed Susan (G2). Prior to that, she was on a 3-race winning streak, advancing from a claiming race to an optional claimer to the $125,000 Weber City Miss Stakes, which she won by 3 1/2 lengths. This is a filly that appears to be improving after getting off to a slow start career-wise. Trombetta is 21 percent with a 44 percent in the money rate in graded stakes over the last five years, per Race Lens. Exotics.

3. Power Squeeze (3-2)

The Gulfstream Oaks (G2) heroine Power Squeeze faced Thorpedo Anna, the best 3-year-old in the country, in the Kentucky Oaks and Acorn Stakes. The Jorge Delgado trainee was taken out of her usual pace-pressing running style, but she gained ground to earn third place in the Acorn, bested 1 1/2 lengths by the runner-up, Leslie’s Rose. Now she cuts back in distance and faces a softer group. Contender. 

Trained by Jorge Delgado, Power Squeeze won two preps on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks: the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes and the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2). She was then sixth in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), beaten by 16 1/2 lengths, and third in the Acorn (G1), beaten by 6 3/4 lengths; both races were won by Thorpedo Anna. Javier Castellano has the call for Delgado. Off the drop in class, Power Squeeze looks really good. Contender.

4. Ringy Dingy (8-1)

Ringy Dingy phoned in two disappointing efforts against Grade 2 company at 1 1/8 miles, although she had excuses in the Demoiselle (G2) and Black-Eyed Susan (G3). She was a handful throughout the running of the Black-Eyed Susan in her 3-year-old debut. Rank early, this daughter of Dialed In dropped back to last, then surged along the rail only to be blocked by a wall of horses. Ringy Dingy decided to hang it up at that point and faded to sixth, 8 1/2 lengths behind the winner. Now, she shortens up and drops in class. Her best performance was a 6 1/4-length victory in the White Clay Creek Stakes here last year, so we know she likes the track. The Danny Gargan trainee drilled 4 furlongs in 47.94 in her second-to-last breeze at Saratoga and takes the blinkers off to help her relax. She has shown tactical speed in previous starts. Live long shot.

Trained by Danny Gargan, Ringy Dingy enters off two straight disappointing runs in graded company. The filly was 5th on debut in a race won by Alys Beach. She then won two straight, including the $100,000 White Clay Creek Stakes over this track. Ringy Dingy was 7th in the Demoiselle (G2) to close out her juvenile season. Gargan sent Ringy Dingy out in the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) off a 5 1/2-month layoff; she finished 6th, beaten by 8 1/2 lengths. Gargan is 21 percent with a 57 percent in-the-money clip with runners second off the layoff over the last five years. He is also 16 percent with a 34 percent in-the-money clip in graded stakes over that same time period, per Race Lens. I’ve always been a fan of this filly, and I’m stubbornly sticking with her to get a piece of the pie. Exotics.

5. Princess Indy (15-1)

In her seasonal debut, Princess Indy nagged the pacesetter the entire way in an allowance contest at Laurel but had to settle for second best, beaten 3 1/2 length. Lord Nelson’s daughter earned a career-best 90-speed rating, and the race should set the Somraj Singh trainee up for a stronger effort. As an interesting note for pedigree geeks, Lord Nelson’s second dam, Miss Linda, is a full sister to Princess Indy’s second dam, Miss Simpatia. In human terms, it would be the product of two first cousins. The pairing previously produced Princess Indy‘s full brother, multiple Grade 3-winning sprinter Super Chow. Princess Indy is most successful as a pacesetter or presser and could ruin someone’s superfecta. Exotics.

Trained by Somraj Singh, Princess Indy exits the same race as Regaled, where she was 2nd to that rival’s fourth place finish. The filly is 4: 1-0-0 in stakes company, and she’ll be Singh’s first-ever graded stakes starter. J. G. Torrealba has the call. Pass.

6. Mystic Lake (3-1)

Mystic Lake, the 4 1/2-length heroine of the Miss Preakness (G3), has a chance to string together back-to-back victories in the Delaware Oaks. However, the Saffie Joseph, Jr. trainee hasn’t accomplished this feat in 9 career starts and backs down if she has to fight. Exotics.

Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., Mystic Lake enters off a front-running, 4 1/2-length victory in the Miss Preakness Stakes (G3). The filly has wins on dirt and Tapeta but has never won a route race. She’s likely better suited to sprinting, but she did manage a third-place finish, beaten by 4 1/2 lengths, in the Mazarine (G3) at Woodbine at the 1 1/16-mile distance. Fernando Jara has the call. Exotics.

7. Sidamara (7-2)

Sidamara ships in for the hot Bill Mott barn and has all the earmarks of a winner. She could become the third royally bred Juddmonte Farms homebred to win for Mott in as many weeks. Arrogate’s daughter is out of Canada champion 2-year-old filly Spring in the Air and a half to the Group 3 winning turf sprinter Find. Sidamara won or placed in her trio of career starts at three different tracks, so she’s already an established road warrior. Contender.

Trained by Bill Mott, Sidamara is 3: 2-1-0 lifetime. She was second on debut at Gulfstream Park, beaten by 1 1/4 lengths in the mile-long affair. She bounced back smartly to win two 1 1/16-mile races. Jose Ortiz has been aboard for all of Sidamara’s races and retains the mount here. Mott is typically a conservative type, so he must feel that this filly belongs in this spot. Contender.