Delta Prince-Blacktype showdown in Artie Schiller Stakes

Not much separates Delta Prince and Blacktype coming into the $150,000 Artie Schiller at Aqueduct on Saturday. And, since they both have tactical speed and the ability to handle less-than-firm turf, there might not be much separating them at the conclusion of the mile grass race, either.

The sky has always been the limit for Delta Prince, a half-brother by Street Cry to three-time Eclipse Award winner Royal Delta. Owned and bred by Frank Stronach, he is trained by Jimmy Jerkens, who conditioned Artie Schiller through a 22-race career that included 2005 victories in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, Maker’s Mark Mile, and Bernard Baruch.

A lightly raced 4-year-old, Delta Prince is 3 for 7 and has never finished worse than third. He will be gunning for his first stakes win in the Artie Schiller and has a good chance to walk away with the top prize.

Delta Prince finished third to Heart to Heart in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch at Saratoga in his most recent start. An 11-time stakes winner, Heart to Heart can be very difficult to reel in when he has things his own way, and he was allowed to set even fractions in the Baruch.

Jerkens has worked Delta Prince six times over the Belmont training track in preparation for the Artie Schiller, including a best-of-17 bullet five furlongs of 1:00.50 on Nov. 10 and a bullet five furlongs in 59.88 on Oct. 26.

“He’s doing good,” Jerkens said. “He had a nice work last Friday.”

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Blacktype, 6, is in top form for Christophe Clement. His last two races are mirror images of themselves. He stalked a pacesetter, then won the race down the stretch.

His last-out victory in the Oct. 9 Knickerbocker at Belmont was his second in a Grade 2 since he was imported from France in 2014.

Although he would enjoy another stalking trip, it is not impossible that he ends up on the lead in the Artie Schiller.

The Chad Brown-trained pair of A Lot and Night Prowler are flying under the radar. A Lot finished sixth, beaten three lengths, while making his first start in 11 months Oct. 13. He broke from the gate awkwardly, then galloped-out in front past the wire.

Night Prowler finished well in a Sept. 9 optional claimer to be second, beaten a length by Blacktype.

Fire Away, who is trained by Shug McGaughey, shortened up in distance from 1 1/4 miles to a mile in his most recent. He leveled off late and was getting to the winner, Tombelaine, who beat him a half-length. Brown liked the winner enough that day to claim him for $100,000.

The forecast for Saturday calls for a possibility of rain.

In race 4, Lady Joan will try to follow up her last-to-first debut win for trainer Brad Cox when she faces winners in a first-level optional claimer at a mile on turf. A daughter of English Channel, she sat behind a slow early pace and then came home nicely into a 6.22-second final furlong.

Race 5 is a first-level allowance for New York-breds at seven furlongs on turf. Discretionary Marq, a full brother to $1.2 million earner Discreet Marq, finished an even fifth at 6-5 in his last start for Clement, but was forced to wait for room while boxed in for much of the stretch run. He should improve.