Downing hopes to head home to Delaware a winner

Trainer William Downing plans to send his South Florida string to Delaware Park next week, but before he does he hopes to head home a winner when he starts Where Paradise Lay in a second-level allowance/optional-claiming race Sunday at Gulfstream Park.

Downing and owner John Grossi claimed Where Paradise Lay for $50,000 out of a win on May 10. Downing said that Where Paradise Lay will be “in jail” for 90 days once he leaves South Florida, meaning he can’t run the horse out of town for that period of time unless he receives permission from the Florida stewards.

“That’s why we’re going to run him Sunday,” Downing said. “Brendan Walsh claimed him and won with him in 21 days. We’re kind of doing the same thing as far as timing goes. Hopefully everything goes good and we can win a race before we leave and it won’t be so bad as far as being in jail for 90 days.”

Downing said the fact Where Paradise Lay is a Maryland-bred was appealing to Grossi as there could possibly be some restricted stakes for him later this year at Laurel Park.

Sunday, Where Paradise Lay should get a good pace to close into with Royal Squeeze and Running for Riz in the field.

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When he won for $50,000, Where Paradise Lay defeated Frosted Grace by 3 3/4 lengths. Frosted Grace is back in this field for trainer Kathy Ritvo.

The wildcard in the six-furlong race is First Deal, a former Jorge Navarro runner who makes his first start for Jorge Delgado. First Deal won two stakes last summer at Monmouth Park, but is coming off two subpar efforts at Gulfstream during the winter. He will be ridden by Rajiv Maragh.

Delgado said he was looking to run the horse at Tampa Bay Downs, but there was a horse in the race he wanted to run in that he felt he could not beat.

“I know this race only had five or six horses so I thought it was better to stay home than travel knowing you’re going to probably finish second,” Delgado said. “I think he’s going to have a shot. I have a rider I can trust.

“I hope there’s speed so he can come from off of it. He’s doing really good.”

Belle Tapisserie, a seven-time winner, makes his second start off the claim for trainer Joe Orseno. He finished fourth behind Soldado on March 26, a race in which Frosted Grace was second.