Divine Oath Tops Grade III Kent Stakes

Let’s Go Stable’s Divine Oath tops the $150,000 Grade III Kent Stakes at Delaware Park this Saturday.  The mile and an eighth turf event for 3-year-olds has attracted a field of seven.

In his most recent outing on August 16, Divine Oath finished sixth in the Grade I Secretariat Stakes at Arlington Park.  Previously, the son of Broken Vow won the Grade III American Derby at Arlington Park.  The Kentucky-bred conditioned by Todd Pletcher has a career record of three wins and a second from six starts with earnings of $245,850.

Cudney Stables’ Lafontaine will be making his first start away from his home track.  The son of Artie Schiller has made all six of his career starts at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.  The Kentucky-bred conditioned by Elizabeth Charalambous has had to earn the respect of the betting public with sharp recent efforts.  On June 28, he broke his maiden at odds of 38-to-1 going a mile and a sixteenth on the grass.  He followed with a half length triumph on the turf in the mile and an eighth $125,000 Toronto Cup at odds of 18-to-1 on July 20.  In his most recent outing, he finished fourth, at odds of 4-to-1, against older horses in a mile and a sixteenth turf allowance on September 1.  He has a career record of two wins from six starts with earnings of $105,891.

Charalambous does not expect Lafontaine to have any problems shipping or getting assimilated to a new location.  He is shipping tomorrow and he is expected to arrive at Delaware Park in the evening.

“I think he should be a great shipper,” said trainer Elizabeth Charalambous.  “He will make a fine shipper because he is the kind of horse that is happy wherever he is.  It does not matter where he is – whether at the racetrack or on the farm – he is just very laid back.  He is a happy-go-lucky kind of guy and it is hard not to really like him.”

Charalambous credits maturity for the rapid and sudden improvement of Lafontaine.

“As a 2-year-old and for part of his 3-year-old season, he has kind of been a green horse,” Charalambous said.  “Compared to some of the other horses I train, it has taken him a little bit longer to come around.  But with every race, he has really been improving.   His last race was against older horses, so that was not an easy race and he only got beat a length and a half.  Truthfully, after he broke his maiden, the light bulb turned on and he figured it out.  He has really come a long way in a short period and I could not be more proud of him.”

Source: Delaware Park

$150,000 Grade III Kent Stakes

For  3-year-olds

at a mile and an eighth (turf)