Delaware Park is an ideal option for gamblers for many reasons including the fact that it is easy to get to from a number of different venues.
It is located just outside the city of Wilmington which makes it a hop, skip and jump to Parx Racing in Philadelphia. Factor in that the New York tracks are close along with Monmouth Park and the Maryland venues, then the proximity really fits for Delaware Park.
The purses at Delaware Park are excellent due to the revenue that the casino can provide. From a pure beauty stand point, Delaware Park is just a super nice place. The paddock area where the horses are saddled before going onto the track for the post parade is a throwback to the game. There are flowers and trees in the paddock area and it is just a welcoming place for bettors and also for families.
In the last couple of decades some true stars have raced at Delaware Park. Near Triple Crown winner Afleet Alex won his racing debut at Delaware as did Barbaro. The latter captured the imagination of the nation after his injury and was gallantly nursed after his mishap to no avail. The Delaware Oaks is one of the most important stakes of the meeting and last year Dark Nile got the job done.
The usual suspects will be around to land the top mounts at Delaware Park. Last year Carol Cedeno ran away with the jockey title and she will be back for more. She guided 75 horses to the charmed circle last year but the rest of the riders were competitive. The next six winning riders were separated by only 12 winners. Trevor McCarthy was second in the standings, followed by Brian Pedroza, Ricardo Chiappe, Daniel Centeno, Erick Rodriguez and Scott Speith. All are be back for more this meeting.
Most racing meetings are fueled by the owners and horsemen that spot their runners and that is as good a place to start with Delaware Park in mind. One of the things that players should concentrate on is the strengths and weaknesses of trainer on any particular circuit. Just like in any other occupation, trainers excel at certain thing and are just ordinary in other areas.
The Delaware Park stand just started at the beginning of June and will run till October 21.
Scott Lake is off to a very good start at Delaware Park this meeting. Lake used to have a huge outfit and he ran horses around the country in droves. He has trimmed down his stock but he is still very potent with a few of his pet moves. When he drops a horse from a Maiden Special Weight to a maiden claimer he is awesome. He has won with 25% of these kind of horses the last 5 years. When Lake takes blinkers off, bettors need to pay attention. He is 19% when using this ploy. Lake is also a very patient guy. He can take his time with horses. When he brings a horse back after a layoff of 180 days or move, he is a major threat. He has hit with four of fifteen of those types the last five years and four others ran in the money.
Trainer Jamie Ness is off to a pretty slow start but that will not likely continue. Ness was the leading Delaware Park trainer last year. He won with 40 of his 143 starters for a 28% clip and 58% of his runners were in the money. Ness can get them ready to win at first asking. He was won with 23% of his maiden claiming debuters in the last five years and 21% of his Maiden Special Weight debuters during the same time period. Like Lake, Ness takes time with his runners. He has with 24% of his starters returning after being away for half the year or longer. When Ness takes the blinkers off pay attention. He has succeeded with 18 of 75 of these kinds of runners the last five years and 55% ran in the money.
Anthony Pecoraro could not match the starters that Ness saddled last year but he won with 19 of his 84 runners. Pecoraro has a great eye for talent. He has won with 26% of his first off the claim runners in the last five years. He has won at the same percentage rate when he goes from a Maiden Special Weight race to a maiden claimer. Lasix is a diuretic that helps horses that bleed and Pecoraro knows all about Lasix. He has only sent out seven horses in the last five years that have gone first-time Lasix. Two of them have won and three of them have run second.
A trainer that goes under the radar at a lot of meetings around the country is Tom Proctor and that is true when dealing with Delaware Park. Proctor only put the tack on 54 horses at the 2016 Delaware Park meeting but he greeted 18 of them back in the winner’s circle. That’s a cool 33% and 59% of his starters were in the top three. Proctor is proficient in all areas but when he puts on a horse on grass for the first time he is an 18% trainer the last 5 years. He is also not averse to giving a horse a race on grass. He is 23% during this same time from when he goes from a turf race to a dirt race. No matter what happens to a first-time starter that is trained by Proctor, don’t be scared away. He is 20% in the last 5 years with runners making their second career starts.
One of the smaller outfits that must be followed at Delaware Park is the stable led by trainer Magee Kieron. The conditioner won with half of his 22 starts last year and only five of his starters ran out of the money.
Getting an edge at any race meeting is not an easy thing to do these days. A bettor has to put in the work. He has to burn the midnight oil and then hope that he is able to make the right decision at post time. It’s not an easy job and it is not for the faint hearted but with the proper tools, the proper mindset and the needed great work ethic, success can be achieved.
There is a race Wednesday at Delaware Park that is interesting. Take a look at the eighth race. It’s an entry-level allowance event and Candycoated Dame rates an upset look. She was at the wrong distance last time and she showed her ability when third last year in the $100,000 Smart Halo Stakes at Laurel.
Good luck.
