Siena Farm and WinStar Farm's Miracle tops a field of ten entered in the $300,000, Grade 3 Delaware Oaks this Saturday at Delaware Park. The 1 1/16-mile affair has been carded as the eighth race with an approximate post time of 4:00pm.
The New York-bred daughter of Mendelssohn travels well: from her seven career starts, she has only been out of the money once while racing over five different tracks. She has a win, four seconds and a third with earnings of $229,675.
“She is training very well coming into the race,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who won the Delaware Oaks in 2006 with Adieu. “She is very consistent and she should like the track.”
Miracle has made three starts in 2023. On Feb. 18, she ran second in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra at the Fair Grounds, then followed with a fifth in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks on April 1. In her most recent out, she ran second in the New York state-bred Bouwerie Stakes at Belmont Park on May 29. Miracle will be ridden by Trevor McCarthy, who won the Delaware Oaks in 2014 with Fortune Pearl.
The Elkstone Group's Cover the Spread and Haymarket Farm's Cats Inthe Timber will be representing the home team. Both are conditioned by Brittany Russell, the current leading trainer at Delaware Park with a record of nine wins, eight seconds, and six thirds from 29 starts.
The Delaware Oaks will be the first stakes test for Cover the Spread who has a career record of two wins and two thirds from four starts. In her most recent, the Maryland-bred daughter of Will Take Charge won a 1 1/16-mile allowance at Pimlico on May 14. The homebred broke her maiden in her career debut going a mile at Laurel Park on November 24.
“We ran her the one turn mile at Laurel three times mostly because that was the only opportunity offered, but we had been dying to run her two turns,” said trainer Brittany Russell. “When we took her to Pimlico, she handled the two turns exactly the way we thought she would. She ran a really big race that day. She is a really good work horse and training filly. It might be a question for her to step up and run against a little better competition, but she has trained and raced so well, it justifies taking this shot.”
Cats Inthe Timber broke her maiden in her second career effort going six furlongs at Delaware Park. In her most recent effort, the Kentucky-bred daughter of Honor Code finished sixth in Grade 2 Black Eyed Susan at Pimlico on May 19. Previously, she won the $125,000 Weber City Miss Stakes at Laurel Park on April 15. Cats Inthe Timber has a career record of three wins, a second, and a third from seven starts with earnings of $155,400.
“Cats Inthe Timber just keeps plugging along and she does what we ask her to do,” said trainer Brittany Russell. “She is solid. We may have thrown her to the wolves last time, but to be fair, she ran hard against a real tough bunch. I am very happy with her. She is doing extremely well. We have had this race in the back of our minds for a while because she trains and started her career at Delaware Park, so we have had this race in mind. I think we are going to take a swing and see what happens in the Oaks.”
$300,000 Grade 3 Delaware Oaks
For 3-year-old fillies
at a mile and a sixteenth
| # | HORSE | OWNER | TRAINER | JOCKEY | Wg | ODD |
| 1 | Foggy Night | Pine Brook Farm | Robert Reid Jr | Paco Lopez | 116 | 10-1 |
| 2 | Cover the Spread | The Elkstone Group | Brittany Russell | Fergal Lynch | 116 | 12-1 |
| 3 | Opus Forty Two | Mark Grier | Arnaud Delacour | Daniel Centeno | 116 | 15-1 |
| 4 | Fireline | Juddmonte | Chad Brown | Dylan Davis | 118 | 7/2 |
| 5 | Balpool | Madaket Stables | Rob Atras | Luis Rodriguez Castro | 118 | 6-1 |
| 6 | Promiseher America | Hoffman Thorough et al | Raymond Handel | Jorge Vargas Jr. | 122 | 5-1 |
| 7 | Fast Tracked | Greg Tatum Racing | Arnaud Delacour | Jorge Ruiz | 116 | 12-1 |
| 8 | Mircale | Siena & Winstar | Todd Pletcher | Trevor McCarthy | 116 | 3-1 |
| 9 | Cats Inthe Timber | Haymarket Farm | Brittany Russell | Jeremy Rose | 120 | 10-1 |
| 10 | Crypto Mama | George Hall & Annestes | Kelly John Breen | Mychel Sanchez | 116 | 10-1 |
The post Consistent Delaware Oaks Favorite Miracle ‘Should Like The Track’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
