Jumping the Gun has edge over Dazzling Dame in White Clay Creek
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Two juvenile fillies with vastly different racing backgrounds will meet in their fourth career starts in the $100,000 White Clay Creek Stakes at Delaware Park on Saturday.
Jumping the Gun will defend her home track for trainer Andy Simoff in the one-mile dirt route, which is restricted to 2-year-old fillies, while Dazzling Dame will run at her fourth venue in as many races for Brittany Russell.
Jumping the Gun has never run outside Delaware and remains undefeated in three races, including the $75,000 Blue Hen and $100,000 Small Wonder at six furlongs. She will take on nine rivals from the far outside post.
“The only down for the whole thing was that I’m not crazy about the draw,” Simoff said. “But you’ve got to play with the cards that you can get.”
Simoff, a successful local trainer with 10 wins in 68 starts this year, had not entered a horse in stakes company since 2023 before Jumping the Gun won the Blue Hen in August.
After a 5 3/4-length debut victory at Laurel Park in June, Dazzling Dame took a short break before shipping to Monmouth Park for the $100,000 Sorority in August. It was her first race at a mile, and she kicked away on the front end to win by two lengths. In her third start, Russell tested her in the Grade 3 Pocahontas at Churchill Downs, where she briefly led but faded to fourth by 9 3/4 lengths.
“I think it’s a different story coming off a two-turn win and going to the one turn at Churchill,” Russell said. “Maybe she just wasn’t quite ready for that. And, look, maybe she is just a touch below those types of horses, and that’s okay.”
The White Clay Creek will provide class relief for Russell’s well-traveled filly, but Jumping the Gun will have home-track advantage and could benefit from added distance. She may also have a pace advantage, as Simoff said he expects her to be more prominent around two turns from the 10 post.
Rocky Run Stakes
Probably Dreaming will try to extend his undefeated streak in the $100,000 Rocky Run Stakes for 2-year-olds on Saturday. The colt is the only runner in the field of seven with a prior stakes victory, giving him a class edge in his first start around two turns for trainer Gary Capuano.
“He seems like a horse that’s going to stretch out going a mile, and he fits in the race good,” Capuano said. “Until they run the two turns, you never know, but we’ll see how it goes.”
In June, Probably Dreaming made his debut in a maiden special weight at Laurel Park and nearly lost all chance when he stumbled badly out of the gate. He recovered and closed from last to win by 3 1/2 lengths.
Capuano did not rush him back after his eventful debut and moved his training to Delaware in July. He made his second start in the $100,000 First State Dash last month, pressing the early pace and pulling away to win by 2 1/4 lengths.
Of his potential competitors on Saturday, three are exiting stakes company on turf, while the other three are last-out maiden winners. Probably Dreaming is the 8-5 morning-line favorite.
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