Call Paul a certified star on six-stakes day at Delaware

It’s not quite home, but Pennsylvania-bred Call Paul returns to the Mid-Atlantic region Saturday as Delaware Park hosts a showcase card for statebred or state-certified horses, plus local runners, featuring six stakes worth a total of $550,000.

According to statistics from The Jockey Club, the largest Delaware foal crop in the past two decades was six reported foals in 2005; in some years in that span, there were no Delaware-registered Thoroughbred foals. Delaware was one of nine states with no mares reported bred to The Jockey Club in 2018 – statistics for 2019 have not yet been released – along with Alaska, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

While the number of Delaware-bred Thoroughbreds has become miniscule, the Delaware-certified program has arisen in order to provide economic resources for horsemen in the state and to encourage the preservation of farmland in the state. Similar to state-certified programs in other states, in order to be Delaware-certified and eligible for designated races or purse funds, horses must be boarded at a Delaware farm or training center for at least 90 days prior to March 31 of their 2-year-old year, and must subsequently race at Delaware Park.

Multiple graded stakes winner Call Paul, who meets those qualifications, is cross-entered in the Grade 1 Vosburgh Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park, but is expected to start in the $100,000 New Castle Stakes, which will make him the biggest name on the Delaware card. The six-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up is one of the four six-figure stakes on the card for Delaware-bred or certified runners.

Pennsylvania-born Call Paul, who is by prominent Maryland sire Friesan Fire, first burst onto the scene in summer 2018 for trainer Jason Servis, winning his debut at Delaware before taking the Grade 2 Saratoga Special. After finishing third in both the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes and Grade 3 Nashua Stakes, he wrapped up the season by winning the Pennsylvania Nursery.

Call Paul had a productive first half of the season, winning the Grade 3 Swale Stakes in Florida, finishing third in the Grade 3 Bay Shore Stakes and second in the Gold Fever Stakes in New York, and winning the Danzig Stakes against Pennsylvania-breds. However, he is looking to rebound off two unplaced efforts this summer at Saratoga. He finished seventh in the Grade 3 Quick Call Stakes on the turf, and then sixth in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens.

Call Paul drew the rail in a field of five for the New Castle under Angel Suarez. The rest of the field will be saddled by Mid-Atlantic based brothers, with Gary Capuano sending out Threes Over Deuces, Tappin Cat, and Bronx Sandman and Dale Capuano saddling Winplaceorshowono.

The female counterpart to the New Castle, the $100,000 Tax Free Shopping Distaff, features a rematch of the top two finishers from the 2018 edition in Shimmering Aspen and Fillupcohensapiker. Shimmering Aspen won the 2018 edition by 3 1/2 lengths, one of her four stakes victories. The Rodney Jenkins trainee has won both her outings at Delaware, with an allowance victory earlier this year added to her stakes score.

Fillupcohensapiker, owned and trained by Andrew Simoff, was also second in the 2017 Tax Free Shopping Distaff. She is winless in four starts this year.

Pink Caddy looms large against her competition in the $100,000 Small Wonder Stakes for Delaware-bred or certified 2-year-old fillies. The filly earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 75 in her maiden win at Parx, 26 points higher than any figure earned by any other horse in the field. She is also the only filly in the field with prior stakes experience, looking to rebound after finishing fifth against open company on the turf in the Colleen Stakes at Monmouth. The counterpart to the Small Wonder is the $100,000 First State Dash, with five state-certified colts and geldings all making their stakes debuts.

Saturday’s Delaware card also includes a pair of $75,000 stakes for 3-year-olds and up who have started at Delaware in 2019, excluding stakes races. Multiple stakes winner Cordmaker, who has had a productive season, looks for the score in the DTHA Governors Day Handicap. The gelding was third by a half-length in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special in May, He comes into this race off a victory in a Delaware allowance.

Pamina comes into the George Rosenberger Memorial Stakes for fillies and mares on the turf with graded stakes form this year. The filly went from an optional-claiming victory on the Delaware turf to open her season to a victory in the Grade 3 Ontario Matron on Woodbine’s Polytrack.