MATCH Divisional Leads at Stake in July 13 Program
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Photo: B & D Photography
Penn Ladies Dash Stakes winner Bronx Beauty faces Ms Locust Point again in the July 13 Dashing Beauty Stakes as part of the MATCH Series at Delaware Park
A rematch in the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship Racing Series' Filly and Mare Sprint, Dirt Division, and a chance for several horses to pad their respective divisional leads highlight MATCH's return to Delaware Park July 13 as part of the Delaware Handicap (G2) card.
The four $100,000 MATCH stakes are races 4-7, with the $750,000 Del Cap as race 8 on the nine-race Saturday program. First post time is 1:15 p.m. ET.
The six-furlong Dashing Beauty Stakes (Filly and Mare Sprint, Dirt Division) attracted Jim Reichenberg and Cash is King's Ms Locust Point, who won the Primonetta Stakes at Laurel Park and finished second in the Penn Ladies Dash Stakes, and 2W Stables' Bronx Beauty, who won the Penn Ladies Dash in her first MATCH Series start, finishing 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Ms Locust Point.
Trained by John Servis, Ms Locust Point will qualify for bonus money with a start in the Dashing Beauty and currently leads the division—as well as the overall standings—with 17 points based on her finishes in the first two of the series' five legs.
Bronx Beauty, trained at Monmouth Park by Anthony Margotta Jr., won the Penn Ladies Dash at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in her second start of the year. Last year she won a stakes at Parx Racing, where the fourth leg of the MATCH Series will be held Sept. 2. Ms Locust Point is stabled at Parx, where she has won four times.
Steve and Debbie Jackson's Last True Love, based at Penn National with Flint Stites, has a chance to accumulate more points in the Dashing Beauty, which will mark her third start in the series. Horses need to start in at least three of the five divisional races to qualify for owner and trainer bonus money.
In the Just a Kiss Stakes (Filly and Mare Long, Turf Division), Ballybrit Stable's Dynatail has a chance to break a three-way tie at the top of the divisional standings. Trained by Mike Dini, Dynatail, who has 10 points, was a handy winner of the Susquehanna Stakes at Penn National in her first MATCH outing and last time out finished sixth in the Eatontown Stakes (G3T) at Monmouth.
The other two division leaders, Secret Message and Enchanted Ghost, aren't entered in the Just a Kiss, which will be run at 1 1/16 miles on the grass. Hamilton Smith, who trains Enchanted Ghost, has instead entered Lorian Francesca Peralta-Ramos' Quick Witted, who will make her second MATCH Series race this year on the road to qualifying for bonus money.
Stonehedge's Always Sunshine will attempt try to win the Hockessin Stakes a second straight year when he makes his 2019 MATCH debut in the six-furlong test (3-Year-Olds and Up Sprint, Dirt Division) after a powerful allowance win at Delaware Park in his first start of 2019. Trained by Edward Allard, Always Sunshine won last year's Hockessin and made only one more start in the 2018 MATCH Series, so he didn't qualify for bonus money.
Hillside Equestrian Meadows' Laki and Uptowncharlybrown Stud and Godric's Midtowncharlybrown, who won the Frank Whiteley Jr. Stakes at Laurel and Chocolate Town Sprint Stakes at Penn National, respectively—the first two divisional races—were not entered in the Hockessin. Laki needs one more start to qualify for bonus money.
The Hockessin did attract Ohio-based Altissimo, an Ohio-bred who has won 15 of 35 starts for owners Nancy Lavrich and Ronald Zielinski. Trained by Richard Zielinski, Altissimo just missed winning the Dave's Friend Stakes in December at Laurel in a rare East Coast visit. That race was won by Rising Sun Racing Stable's Colonel Sharp, who also is entered after posting a Delaware allowance victory in his previous outing for trainer Hugh McMahon, who has a local string this year.
Robert Bone's Completed Pass, leader of the 3-Year-Olds and Up Sprint, Turf Division, wasn't nominated to the Glasgow Stakes at 7 1/2 furlongs but was supplemented for $1,500. The Claudio Gonzalez trainee needs one more start to qualify for bonus money.
Completed Pass, who missed winning the first two division events by a neck each time, will have a quick turnaround after racing July 6 in the Parx Dash Stakes (G3) at five furlongs. But he broke poorly and never had a chance in a race won in a slow time on a soft course by Pure Sensation, who barely beat him in the Pennsylvania Governor's Cup Stakes at Penn National.
The Glasgow and the Sept. 2 Neshaminy Stakes at Parx are both two-turn sprints, and the final MATCH leg at Monmouth is back at one turn.
Gold Square's Square Shooter, fourth in the Governor's Cup for trainer Jeremiah Englehart, is entered in the Glasgow. Skeedattle Associates' Just Howard, trained by Graham Motion, will make his MATCH Series debut and has plenty of two-turn experience in grass stakes in the region.
MATCH standings, top three by division
Rank Horse Points
Overall
1. Ms Locust Point 17
2. Completed Pass 14
3. Laki 13
3yo&Up Sprint, Dirt Division
1. Laki 13
2. Midtowncharlybrown 10
3T. Lewisfield 7
3T. Killybegs Captain 7
3yo&Up Fllies and Mares Sprint, Dirt Division
1. Ms Locust Point 17
2. Bronx Beauty 10
3. Cairenn 8
3yo&up Sprint, Turf Division
1. Completed Pass 14
2T. Dirty 10
2T. Pure Sensation 10
3yo&up, Fillies and Mares Long, Turf Division
1T. Enchanted Ghost 10
1T. Dynatail 10
1T. Secret Message 10
MATCH Series bonus money totals $75,000 per division ($45,000 for owners and $30,000 for trainers for the top three horses based on points). More information and complete standings are available at matchseries.com.
Delaware Park, Saturday, July 13, 2019, Race 4Entries: Dashing Beauty S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Le Weekend (MD)
Alex Cintron
119
Michael E. Gorham
8/1
2
2Bronx Beauty (PA)
Jose L. Ortiz
124
Anthony R. Margotta, Jr.
6/5
3
3Ms Locust Point (KY)
Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.
124
John C. Servis
3/2
4
4Last True Love (KY)
Jacqueline A. Davis
119
Flint W. Stites
12/1
5
5Yorkiepoo Princess (FL)
Daniel Centeno
119
Edward R. Barker
4/1
Delaware Park, Saturday, July 13, 2019, Race 5Entries: Just a Kiss S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Goiaba (KY)
Daniel Centeno
120
Arnaud Delacour
8/1
2
2Unbridled Escape (MD)
Jose R. Betancourt
120
Kelly Lynn Deiter
20/1
3
3Dynatail (KY)
Alex Cintron
124
Michael Dini
9/2
4
4Quick Witted (KY)
Forest Boyce
120
Hamilton A. Smith
15/1
5
5Lift Up (KY)
Joe Bravo
120
Michael W. Dickinson
5/2
6
6Good Roll (MD)
Ricardo Chiappe
120
Kevin C. Boniface
20/1
7
7Drop Dead Red (VA)
Carol Cedeno
120
Francis Abbott, III
12/1
8
8Monte Crista (MD)
Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.
120
Michael J. Trombetta
15/1
9
9Capla Temptress (IRE)
Jose L. Ortiz
120
William I. Mott
8/5
Delaware Park, Saturday, July 13, 2019, Race 6Entries: Hockessin S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Colonel Sharp (KY)
J. D. Acosta
121
Hugh I. McMahon
3/1
2
2Altissimo (OH)
Christian P. Pilares
124
Richard Zielinski
9/2
3
3Arthur's Hope (NY)
Angel S. Arroyo
121
Marco P. Salazar
8/1
4
4Always Sunshine (FL)
Carol Cedeno
121
Edward T. Allard
2/1
5
5No Dozing (KY)
Daniel Centeno
119
Arnaud Delacour
8/5
Delaware Park, Saturday, July 13, 2019, Race 7Entries: Glasgow S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1No Bull Addiction (MD)
Jesus A. Bracho
120
Sherene Bracho
20/1
2
2Fact of War (KY)
Alex Cintron
116
Gary Capuano
15/1
3
3Ballivor (MD)
J. D. Acosta
120
Carlos A. Mancilla
20/1
4
4Completed Pass (IN)
Raul Mena
122
Claudio A. Gonzalez
12/1
5
5Paret (AUS)
Daniel Centeno
120
James L. Lawrence, II
10/1
6
6Parlor (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
120
Eddie Kenneally
3/2
7
7O Dionysus (MD)
Alex Cintron
120
Gary Capuano
9/2
8
8Square Shooter (KY)
Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.
120
Jeremiah C. Englehart
15/1
9
9Abiding Star (FL)
Carol Cedeno
120
Edward T. Allard
10/1
10
10Celebration (GB)
Forest Boyce
120
Francis Abbott, III
12/1
11
11Just Howard (MD)
Joe Bravo
120
H. Graham Motion
5/1