Jones finds loophole for pair

Ordinarily, multiple allowance winners My Heavenly Sign and Tammy's Victress wouldn't be eligible for a race restricted to horses that haven't yet cleared their first allowance condition. But the fine print in Monday's eighth race at Delaware Park stipulates that the mile and 70-yard race is open to fillies and mares who haven't won a race other than maiden, claiming, starter, or statebred on the turf.

So trainer Larry Jones, perhaps anticipating that Monday's feature might be taken off the turf, entered the coupled pair of My Heavenly Sign and Tammy's Victress, neither of whom has ever started on grass.

My Heavenly Sign has seven lifetime wins, including a fourth-level allowance route that was taken off the turf in June.

Tammy's Victress is a five-time winner on dirt, including a third-level allowance route over a sloppy track in June.

If the race remains on the grass, Medina Thunder looks dangerous.

A 3-year-old trained by Michael Matz, Medina Thunder has yet to finish first in three starts. But she was elevated to first via a disqualification in a maiden race, then responded to facing winners for the first time by improving her Beyer Speed Figure 20 points, earning a 91 that is by far the best turf figure in the field.

Molly Moon merits respect while making her first start off the claim by high-percentage trainer Cody Autrey. Although winless in three prior starts on grass, Molly Moon posted respectable Beyers of 70 and 71 in a pair of minor turf stakes at Monmouth Park and Colonial Downs last year.

The 4-year-old Molly Moon is a half-sister to Unaccountedlea, who won the Woodlawn on Pimlico's turf and earned a career-best 92 Beyer on Delaware's grass course in the Nick Shuk as a 3-year-old.

Molly Moon shows several good races on the synthetic Tapeta surface at Presque Isle Downs, and synthetic form often translates well to turf.

The intriguing value play is Me Love, a 3-year-old who is listed at 30-1 on the track's morning line. She is 2 for 2 this season, having won a first-level allowance at Penn National in her first try around two turns.

Although she has yet to try turf, Me Love is a daughter of Giant's Causeway, the second leading turf sire in 2009 with 28 winners who have compiled $2.03 million in earnings.