Delaware Park: Robert G. Dick, Oaks lead Saturday stakes
Miss Yearwood rates as the slight morning-line favorite in the $250,000 Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial at Delaware Park on Saturday. The 1 3/8-mile turf affair for fillies and mares has attracted a field of 11. The Robert G. Dick Memorial has been carded as the seventh race with an approximate post time of 3:30 p.m. EDT.
In her most recent, the 4-year-old daughter of Will Take Charge, posted a length triumph in the 1 1/2-mile Keertana Stakes over the Churchill Downs turf course on May 27. Previously, the Kentucky-bred conditioned by Ian Wilkes won a 1 1/2-mile turf allowance at Keeneland on April 26. She has a career record of 12: 4-2-2 with earnings $438,780. She will be ridden by Chris Landeros. The trainer/jockey tandem of Wilkes and Landeros teamed up to win the Robert G. Dick twice with Gentle Ruler in 2019 and 2020.
Trainer Graham Motion, who has won the Robert G. Dick Memorial eight times, has entered Frivole and Sopran Basilea. Both had impressive efforts in making North American debuts in last race after solid European campaigns.
“They both worked together this morning (Monday),” Motion said. “I thought they went well.”
In her only outing this year, Frivole posted a 2 1/2-length triumph in a 1 3/8-mile turf allowance at Churchill Downs on May 18. Last year, the 4-year-old daughter of Anodin had a win, four seconds and two thirds while racing in France.
“Obviously, I did not know Frivole could be this kind of horse, but I thought she won pretty impressively at Churchill,” Motion said. “We were rolling the dice a little bit going a mile and three-eighths. I thought she could handle it, but I was not sure, so it kind of was a little bit of an experiment. After she did it so nicely, I thought this was a great spot for her.”
Sopran Basilea finished second beaten 2 1/2 lengths in the 1 1/16-mile Gallorette (G3) over the Pimlico turf course on May 20 in her 2023 debut. In 2021 and 2022, the 5-year-old daughter of Night of Thunder compiled a record of five wins, five seconds and a third from 15 starts, including two victories and three seconds in Group 2 & 3 races mostly at distances going a mile and a quarter or longer in Italy.
“I was a little surprised how well she ran on Preakness Day because I knew the race was going to be short for her, but I was anxious to her started,” Motion said. “I thought she ran extremely well. Running long is obviously what she wants to do. She is kind of proven at these distances. But the timing and her effort in the Gallorette should set her up perfectly for this race.”
2023 Robert G. Dick Memorial G3
Pletcher's Miracle leads Delaware Oaks field
Miracle tops a field of 10 entered in the $300,000 Delaware Oaks (G3) on Saturday. The 1 1/16-mile affair has been carded as the eighth race with an approximate post time of 4:00 p.m. EDT.
The New York-bred daughter of Mendelssohn travels well. From her seven career starts, she has been out of the money only once while racing over five tracks. She has a win, four seconds and a third with earnings of $229,675.
“She is training very well coming into the race,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who won the Delaware Oaks in 2006 with Adieu. “She is very consistent and she should like the track.”
She has made three starts in 2023. On Feb. 18, she ran second in the 1 1/16-mile Rachel Alexandra (G2) at the Fair Grounds, she followed with a fifth in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) on April 1 and in her most recent, she ran second in the New York state-bred Bouwerie Stakes at Belmont Park on May 29. She will be ridden by Trevor McCarthy, who won the Delaware Oaks in 2014 with Fortune Pearl.
Cover the Spread and Cats Inthe Timber will represent the home team. Both are conditioned by Brittany Russell, who is the current leading trainer at Delaware Park with a record of 29: 9-8-6.
The Delaware Oaks will be the first stakes test for Cover the Spread, who has a career record of 4: 2-0-2. In her most recent, the Maryland-bred daughter of Will Take Charge won a 1 1/16-mile allowance at Pimlico on May 14. The home-bred broke her maiden in her career debut going a mile at Laurel Park on Nov. 24.
“We ran her the one-turn mile at Laurel three times mostly because that was the only opportunity offered, but we had been dying to run her two turns,” Russell said. “When we took her to Pimlico, she handled the two turns exactly the way we thought she would. She ran a really big race that day. She is a really good work horse and training filly. It might be a question for her to step up and run against a little better competition, but she has trained and raced so well, it justifies taking this shot.”
Cats Inthe Timber broke her maiden in her second career effort going six furlongs at Delaware Park. In her most recent, the Kentucky-bred daughter of Honor Code finished sixth in Black Eyed Susan (G2) at Pimlico on May 19. Previously, she won the Weber City Miss Stakes at Laurel Park on April 15. She has a career record of 7: 3-1-1 with earnings of $155,400.
“Cats Inthe Timber just keeps plugging along and she does what we ask her to do,” Russell said. “She is solid. We may have thrown her to the wolves last time, but to be fair, she ran hard against a real tough bunch. I am very happy with her. She is doing extremely well. We have had this race in the back of our minds for a while because she trains and started her career at Delaware Park, so we have had this race in mind. I think we are going to take a swing and see what happens in the Oaks.”