Delaware: Silver Axe faces softer

Silver Axe, who came within a head of winning a Grade 2 stakes this summer, adds a touch of class to the $55,000 Shecky Greene, the feature on the next-to-last day of Delaware Park's season.

The 1 1/16-mile overnight stakes drew a field of 11 older horses.

The 8-year-old Silver Axe, based in Kentucky with trainer Tom Amoss, rallied from 15 lengths behind and passed seven horses to just fall short against Lord of the Game in the Grade 2 Cornhusker Breeders' Cup Handicap at Prairie Meadows in July.

Most recently, Silver Axe was third in the Grade 2 Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park and second as the 3-2 favorite in the Fall Stakes at Mountaineer.

Grade 3 winner Cherokee's Boy, a 5-year-old trained by Gary Capuano, would be making his first start since running twice in a span of six days last month, winning a minor stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Charles Town and finishing second going six furlongs in the Maryland Million Sprint. He is cross-entered Saturday in the $125,000 Mountaineer Mile in West Virginia.

Other Shecky Greene contenders include Trapped Again, an easy winner of the $100,000 Kelso Handicap at Delaware two starts ago, and Separato, a six-time winner at Delaware who was narrowly beaten by Trapped Again in the Owners Day Handicap and Cherokee's Boy in the Brandywine Handicap earlier this season.