Piece of My Heart Looks to Step Up in Delaware Oaks

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Piece of My Heart Looks to Step Up in Delaware Oaks
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Photo: Coady Photography
Piece of My Heart wins the Gardenia Stakes at Oaklawn Park

Wolfe Racing and Hugh Robertson's Piece of My Heart tops a field of eight in the $300,000 Delaware Oaks (G3) July 4 at Delaware Park, a 1 1/16-mile event that offers points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks for the first time.

Carded as the eighth race with an approximate post time of 4:45 p.m. ET, the Delaware Oaks will award qualifying points for the Sept. 4 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) to the top four finishers on a 50-20-10-5 scale.

Piece of My Heart has won her past two starts at Oaklawn Park, including a 1 1/2-length score in the Gardenia Stakes going 1 1/16 miles May 1. The Florida-bred daughter of Flat Out  trained by McLean Robertson has a 3-2-1 record from eight starts with earnings of $135,750.

She has turned in four workouts at Delaware, her most recent June 30 when she breezed five furlongs on a fast main track in 1:00 4/5.

"She is doing real good," Robertson said. "It looks like she gets over the Delaware Park surface really well. Hopefully, she will run the same as last time. It took a little while for her, but she got awful good at Oaklawn and she is doing really good here, so we are looking forward to Saturday."

WinStar Farm, Lindy Farms, and Madaket Stables' 2019 Schuylerville Stakes (G3) winner Comical seeks redemption after a runner-up finish in the Gardenia. The Kentucky-bred Into Mischief  filly trained by Steven Asmussen came into that race off a second in a 1 1/16-mile allowance-level event March 28 at Oaklawn. In her only other outing this year, she finished fourth going a mile and 40 yards in the Suncoast Stakes Feb. 8 at Tampa Bay Downs. She was second in the Chandelier Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park last season, and her record stands at 2-3-1 from nine starts with earnings of $271,251.

Gufo Looks to Extend Streak in Kent

Otter Bend Stables' Gufo tops the $125,000 Kent Stakes (G3T), carded as the ninth race at Delaware on Saturday. The 1 1/8-mile turf event has attracted a field of eight 3-year-olds and has an approximate post time of 5:15 p.m. ET.

Gufo will look to extend his winning streak to four. The Kentucky-bred son of Declaration of War started his career for trainer Christophe Clement with a third in a Nov. 17 maiden race on the Aqueduct Racetrack lawn, then followed with three successive turf victories, all at Gulfstream Park. In his most recent start, he won the English Channel Stakes going 1 1/16 miles May 2.

Trainer Graham Motion has entered Alex Campbell Jr.'s Bye Bye Melvin, a half brother to grade 2 winner Mean Mary who returns to the turf after running unplaced March 7 in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2). His previous two efforts, on the grass at Tampa Bay Downs, tell the real story of the son of Uncle Mo . He broke his maiden going 1 1/16 miles by 8 1/4 lengths Dec. 7, then followed with a win by three-quarters of a length in a one-mile allowance-level event Jan. 8.

"We thought he breezed really well on the dirt, so we decided to run him in the Tampa Bay Derby," Motion said. "After the Tampa Bay Derby, we are excited to get him back on the grass. … We think he has a bright future on the grass."


Entries: Delaware Oaks (G3)

Delaware Park, Saturday, July 04, 2020, Race 8

  • Grade III
  • 1 1/16m
  • Dirt
  • $300,000
  • 3 yo Fillies
  • 4:45 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Comical (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Alex Cintron 116 Steven M. Asmussen 5/2
2 2Piece of My Heart (FL)Keeneland Sales Graduate Joseph Talamo 118 McLean Robertson 2/1
3 3Princess Cadey (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Angel Cruz 120 Claudio A. Gonzalez 10/1
4 4Long Point Beach (MD) Feargal Lynch 116 Lacey Gaudet 15/1
5 5Hopeful Growth (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Trevor McCarthy 116 Anthony R. Margotta, Jr. 10/1
6 6Project Whiskey (MD) Frankie Pennington 116 Robert E. Reid, Jr. 12/1
7 7Dream Marie (KY) Joe Bravo 116 Matthew J. Williams 4/1
8 8Queen Bridget (KY) Tyler Baze 116 John Alexander Ortiz 8/1




Entries: Kent S. (G3T)

Delaware Park, Saturday, July 04, 2020, Race 9

  • Grade IIIT
  • 1 1/8m
  • Turf
  • $125,000
  • 3 yo
  • 5:15 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Talking (KY) Daniel Centeno 118 Jonathan Thomas 12/1
2 2On Base (KY) UNKNOWN 118 Jonathan Thomas 15/1
3 3Pixelate (KY) Angel Suarez 118 Michael Stidham 3/1
4 4Bye Bye Melvin (KY) Feargal Lynch 118 H. Graham Motion 6/1
5 5Me and Mr. C (FL) Carol Cedeno 118 Edward T. Allard 8/1
6 6Gufo (KY) Trevor McCarthy 118 Christophe Clement 5/2
7 7Sunsation (KY) Joe Bravo 118 Kelsey Danner 6/1
8 8Vanzzy (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Mychel J. Sanchez 118 Michael V. Pino 4/1