A competitive field of seven sophomore
fillies will vie for $300,000 and a Grade 3 victory in Saturday’s Delaware Oaks on Saturday.
The 1 1/16-mile contest is a
notable prep race for the Alabama (G1) at Saratoga, with 15 fillies achieving
victory in both races since 1938.
The period from 2008 to 2010 saw
a remarkable trio of talented fillies conquer the challenge: 3-year-old champion Proud Spell (2008), Careless Jewel (2009), and the outstanding
3-year-old champion Blind Luck (2010). The 2010 Delaware Oaks marked a riveting first
clash between Blind Luck and her fierce competitor, Havre de Grace, igniting a
thrilling six-race rivalry.
This year’s field includes Gulfstream
Oaks (G2) heroine Power Squeeze, looking to bounce back from a third-place
finish in the Acorn Stakes (G1). Call Another Play, who finished third in the
Black-Eyed Susan (G2), and Ringy Dingy, who finished sixth in the same race. Sidamara,
a well-bred and lightly raced prospect from the Bill Mott barn, is set to step up
for her first graded challenge,
The Delaware Oaks is featured as
the ninth of ten races with a 4:30 p.m. EDT post time.
Ashley Tamulonis of Coast To Coast and I analyze the details and see things differently.
Laurie
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Ashley
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1. Regaled (15-1)
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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.
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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.
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2. Call Another
Play (8-1)
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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.
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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.
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3. Power Squeeze
(3-2)
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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.
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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.
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4. Ringy Dingy
(8-1)
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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.
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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.
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5. Princess Indy
(15-1)
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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.
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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.
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6. Mystic Lake
(3-1)
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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.
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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.
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7. Sidamara (7-2)
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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.
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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.
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Final
Thoughts
Laurie: The history of the last dozen editions of the
Delaware Oaks is spotty. Only five winners hit the board in their previous
start; half of them gained ground, and half of the favorites won or placed. Two
Delaware Oaks had an excuse as they had troubled trips in their prep.
Pace pressers are most successful with seven wins.
Two pacesetters and a lone closer also won.
Three long shots in the last 12 years blew up the
tote with payouts of $110.80 (2015), $79.60 (2020) and $30.40 (2003).
Mystic
Lake is lone speed. Usually, I’d pick her on top, but her inability to string
together two wins in a row makes me look elsewhere. Perhaps Fernando Jara can
put them to sleep on the front end, but I think a couple here can press, mainly
Princess Indy and Sidamara.
Power
Squeeze is a logical favorite, but let’s try to beat her because, historically,
favorites don’t do well in the Delaware Oaks.
Call Another
Play is an attractive upsetter. She is improving and exited with a third-place
finish in the Black-Eyed Susan, a key Delaware Oaks prep. Audible’s daughter
has tactical speed, and her late-pace figures are competitive.
The
talented Sidamara has shown multiple gears in her three starts. She pressed a
quick pace in her debut, so the speed is there if Jose Ortiz wants it. However,
Sidamara is still green and learning. She drifted in two of three starts and
momentarily lost focus. She needs to improve against a more experienced and
higher-class field.
Ashley: It looks like Mystic Lake will be all alone on the
lead. Ringy Dingy and Princess Indy like to be forwardly placed, but I doubt
either will press the issue on the front end too hard.
Power Squeeze gets the drop in class, but she’s
never been the favorite in any of the races she’s won.
Princess Indy surprisingly has the highest Equibase
speed figure in the field: the 96 she earned last out when finishing second in a lower-level
non-winners of two optional claimer. Mystic Lake has the second highest figure,
a 95, but she received that when running fifth in the Herecomesthebride (G3) on
turf.
I’m going to try to beat the favorite with Sidamara.
I think this is a logical next step for the daughter of Arrogate, and she’s
undefeated at the distance.
I don’t particularly like the lack of pace in here
for most of my picks, but I also don’t think Mystic Lake can carry her speed
around two turns. So, aside from trying to beat favored Power Squeeze with
Sidamara, I’m taking Mystic Lake to hang on for a minor award and Ringy Dingy
to improve second off the layoff.
Selections
Laurie
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Ashley
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Call Another Play (8-1)
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Sidamara (7-2)
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Power Squeeze (3-2)
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Power Squeeze (3-2)
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Sidamara (7-2)
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Mystic Lake (3-1)
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Ringy Dingy (8-1)
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Ringy Dingy (8-1)
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