Delaware Park: Heat Press looks to fire fresh in Barbaro Stakes

Heat Press displayed flashes of talent early in his career, winning a two-turn maiden race by 14 lengths in the final start of his 2-year-old campaign and finishing second this past spring in the Federico Tesio Stakes. But he took a step backward when he was tried on turf and has been on the sidelines since mid-May.

The 3-year-old Heat Press launches his comeback as a first-time gelding in Wednesday’s $100,000 Barbaro Stakes, the closing-day feature at Delaware Park. The 1 1/16-mile race drew a field of six and goes as race 7 on a nine-race card at 4:15 p.m. Eastern.

Graham Motion, who trains Heat Press for Sagamore Farm, said he noticed something wasn’t right with the son of Malibu Moon after his sixth-place finish in the $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes at Pimlico.

“After that race, we felt like he was not moving particularly well, and we also decided to geld him,” Motion said. “So, he is a first-time gelding, and with everything else, I hope it will attribute to getting him back on track.

“I think he is the kind that should be competitive in these kinds of races. He has always been a horse that I think has been on the cusp of doing good things, so hopefully this is the way to get him there.”

The New Jersey-based Revocation figures to be favored in the Barbaro. He will make his stakes debut after winning his maiden and clearing his first allowance condition by a combined 15 1/2 lengths in his two most recent starts.

The Barbaro also marks the return to two-turn racing for Purple Egg. As a 2-year-old, Purple Egg won his first three starts sprinting but faded to last when he stretched out around two turns for the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby in early March.

In his only start since April, Purple Egg finished last of five in a 6 1/2-furlong overnight stakes at Belmont Park last month. He subsequently worked a bullet half-mile in 47 seconds at Monmouth Park.

Cerro, third in the Stanton Stakes on Delaware’s turf Sept. 30, comes back quickly and returns to the main track, where he recorded his two most recent victories, both going 1 1/8 miles.

Keep the Canoli, third in an overnight stakes locally last out, and Street Shark, second in a nonwinners-of-two allowance at Mountaineer last month, complete the field.