Divining Rod launches comeback on closing day

The Laurel Park summer meet concludes Sunday with an interesting second-level optional-claiming race on turf that will match Divining Rod, the third-place finisher in last year’s Preakness, against He’ll Pay, who is coming off a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Kent at Delaware Park.

Divining Rod, a son of Tapit, had a nice 3-year-old season for Lael Stables and trainer Arnaud Delacour. In addition to his Preakness placing, he won the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, finished third, beaten a head, in the Ohio Derby, and was third in the Indiana Derby. This will be his first start since last August.

“He had some physical issues,” Delacour said. “We thought we would just give him two or three months, but it took longer than expected for us to get him back. We are finally there.”

Delacour has breezed Divining Rod nine times at Fair Hill since June 9. Delacour said he thinks Divining Rod should run well fresh.

“He’s pretty tight. We have a good series of works in him,” Delacour said. “He won first out at a mile at Laurel at 2, and I would expect him to run to his form.”

His comeback race at 1 1/16 mile will be only his second turf start. He finished third in a Tampa Bay Downs optional-claiming race in December 2014.

“I breezed him on the turf last week and was very pleased with him,” Delacour said, “so it made sense for us to bring him back on the turf.

He’ll Pay won a Fair Grounds maiden race and the Rushaway Stakes at Turfway Park consecutively in early spring for trainer Larry Jones. He finished fifth in the James W. Murphy Stakes at Pimlico and fourth in the Stanton Stakes at Delaware Park before turning in a determined front-running performance when second to American Patriot in the Kent. American Patriot returned to finish third in the Grade 1 Secretariat at Arlington last weekend.

◗ Because Sunday is closing day, any Rainbow 6, super high five, or pick five carryovers must be paid out.