Following Wolf Hill victory, The Critical Way will point to Parx Dash
The Critical Way won for the sixth time in 10 starts since Jose Delgado took over his training when he got home by a half-length on June 17 in the $98,000 Wolf Hill Stakes on the Haskell undercard at Monmouth Park.
Delgado and Monster Racing Stables, The Critical Way’s owner, considered a trip to Saratoga, but Delgado said Wednesday that the $200,000 Parx Dash on Aug. 24 now seems the likely spot.
Seven-year-old The Critical Way has hit career-best form this season and popped a pair of triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures in April and May, prompting connections to contemplate a trip to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in November at Del Mar. A one-way front-runner when he first came into top form for Delgado, The Critical Way has stalked and pounced in his last two starts.
“He’s still got the speed, but now we try to sit behind, and it worked for him very well the last two times,” Delgado said.
Delgado has 26 horses under his Monmouth barn roof right now yet still leads the meet trainer standings with 19 victories, five more than second-place Wayne Potts. Those 19 wins have come with only 50 runners, but Delgado said he’s set for a good run through the next two weeks and might be able to win the training title if things go well.
“It’s hard because I don’t have the amount of horses, but I still think I got a chance,” he said.
◗ Monmouth Park stewards on Sunday held a hearing with California-based jockey Flavien Prat regarding his ride aboard Hot Rod Charlie in last Saturday’s Haskell Stakes, where Hot Rod Charlie was disqualified from first to last for coming over and causing Midnight Bourbon to clip heels, stumble badly, and unseat jockey Paco Lopez.
A ruling on the incident is expected Thursday or Friday as Prat has returned to ride the Del Mar meeting.