Delaunay shows grit to go with speed

Delaunay started his 8-year-old season the same way he ended his 7-year-old campaign, with an impressive stakes win at Fair Grounds.

Last Saturday, in an off-the-turf edition of the Bonapaw, Delaunay ran down the fast sprinter Heitai over 5 1/2 furlongs to win by a neck. Usually on the lead in his best races, Delaunay chased and chased and finally caught Heitai.

“He was definitely trying hard to catch that horse, and that’s not him,” trainer Tom Amoss said. “He wins his races on the lead.”

After earning a career-best 111 Beyer Speed Figure in winning the Thanksgiving Handicap, Delaunay got a 103 in the Bonapaw. Amoss, who trains Delaunay for Maggi Moss, called the Feb. 21 Duncan F. Kenner “the logical spot” for Delaunay’s next start, though like the Thanksgiving and the Bonapaw, it offers only a $60,000 purse.

“The flip side of that is he doesn’t have to travel, and this is his favorite racetrack,” Amoss said. ◗ There are two turf allowance races on the Thursday card. Race 5 is a second-level allowance for fillies and mares that’s also open to $40,000 claimers, and Compelling Case looks like the one to beat. In race 3, for 3-year-old first-level allowance runners or $50,000 claimers, Fantasize is the selection.