Delacour has strong hand for Laurel stakes

Laurel Park is pulling out the stops for Father’s Day on Sunday, with all sorts of activities planned to keep Dad entertained, including four solid stakes races.

The afternoon has been dubbed “Cars, Cigars, and Barbecue” and, as the name implies, will include an antique auto show, cigar rolling, and food specials. With the exception of Black-Eyed Susan and Preakness days, the stakes are the first in Maryland since mid-April.

The stakes, all worth $100,000, are the Prince George’s County and Big Dreyfus, at 1 1/16 miles on turf; the Polynesian, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up; and the Alma North, a seven-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies.

Trainer Arnaud Delacour has interesting group of 5-year-olds in three of the stakes. No Dozing will return from a lengthy layoff in the Polynesian, Argentinian import The Great Day will make his North American debut in the Prince George’s County, and I’m So Fancy, a Group 3-winning mare in Ireland, will make her second U.S. start in the Big Dreyfus. All three horses are owned by the Lael Stables of Roy and Gretchen Jackson.

No Dozing will be making his first start since winning the Grade 3 Bold Ruler by 9 3/4 lengths going seven furlongs at Aqueduct in November. He came down with a splint injury following that race, which led to the layoff.

“We had to take care of it and get it under control,” Delacour said. “We gave him all the time he needed.”

In 2018, No Dozing returned from an eight-month layoff to win a Saratoga allowance race.

“I think his fitness is as good as it was last year,” Delacour said. “We never really stopped on him, we just took it easy with him.”

The eight-horse Polynesian lineup also includes the amazing Cordmaker and hard-trying Lewisfield.

Cordmaker won the 1 1/8-mile Harrison Johnson Memorial in March for trainer Rodney Jenkins, shortened up to seven furlongs in April to win a third-level optional claimer, then stretched out to 1 1/4 miles in the Pimlico Special and finished third, beaten a half-length. He will cut back three furlongs in distance Sunday.

Lewisfield, who races for Jeff Runco, has dropped his last two decisions but is well placed. He finished third in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint last time out and was second to Laki in the Frank Whiteley Jr. prior to that.

I’m So Fancy has a big shot to win the Big Dreyfus for Delacour. She was privately purchased by the Jacksons after winning three of her final six starts in Ireland last season. In her Stateside debut in the Grade 3 Gallorette, she stalked front-running winner Mitchell Road before flattening out in the final furlong of the 1 1/16-mile race and finishing fourth, beaten 3 1/2 lengths.

“She didn’t break especially well and we were riding her to win,” Delacour said. “I think we may have used her too much in the beginning trying to follow Bill Mott’s mare, who won the race.

“This time I think we will let her break and find her spot in the race and not rush her as much.”

The Big Dreyfus has a field of 13. Other top contenders include Andina Del Sur, who is trained by Tom Albertrani; Lift Up, who will be making her seasonal debut for Michael Dickinson; Malakeh, a Belmont Park allowance winner for Graham Motion; and the Jane Cibelli-trained Dark Artist.

Delacour will start The Great Day and Douglas Road in the Prince George’s County, which has a highly competitive field of nine. The Mike Maker-trained Hembree is expected to scratch and instead run at Belmont on Sunday.

The Great Day raced mainly on dirt in Argentina, but Delacour said he prefers the way he has trained on turf in this country. He won two of his three starts last year and in 2017 raced in Argentina’s biggest races, finishing sixth of 13 in the $600,000 Carlos Pellegrini and second by a nose on grass in the $288,000 Jockey Club, both at San Isidro.

“Like you have to do with horses from the south, we really took our time with him,” Delacour said. “He’s been breezing very well and he’s a pretty straightforward horse.

“He has tactical speed. I’m not sure that he breaks that well, but I expect him to get good position.”

Delacour has trained Douglas Road the past two seasons. This is an ambitious spot for him.

“He’s a little different than The Great Day. He’s not as big and as strong and doesn’t need as much work,” Delacour said. “He’s a solid horse. We’ll see how he does.”

The race also includes the well-known runners Divisidero, Just Howard, O Dionysus, and Doctor Mounty.

The fourth stakes, the Alma North, has a field of seven, topped by the Mark Reid-trained Please Flatter Me, who should be a solid favorite.

Please Flatter Me finished second to the exceptional 3-year-old filly sprinter Covfefe in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness on May 17. Covfefe blazed six furlongs in 1:07.70 while winning by 8 1/2 lengths. Please Flatter Me, who will have to overcome post 1 Sunday, finished 3 1/2 lengths clear of the third-place runner in the Miss Preakness.