Lafontaine has trainer confident ahead of Kent Stakes

Trainer Elizabeth Charalambous rarely ventures outside her home track of Woodbine. Over the past eight years, she ran two horses at Fort Erie in 2009 and one apiece at Presque Isle Downs (2011) and Keeneland (2012).

So, it speaks volumes that Charalambous is willing to ship her 3-year-old Lafontaine all the way to Delaware Park for Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Kent Stakes. The Kent, which goes as race 5 at 3:07 p.m. Eastern, drew a field of seven 3-year-olds going 1 1/8 miles on turf.

Lafontaine, no better than sixth in his first three career starts, woke up this summer, winning his maiden at 38-1 in late June and upsetting the $128,500 Toronto Cup at 18-1 in July. The stakes win looks even more impressive after third-place finisher Heart to Heart returned to win the Better Talk Now at Saratoga with a 96 Beyer Speed Figure.

“Compared to some of the other horses I train, it has taken him a little bit longer to come around. But with every race, he has really been improving,” Charalambous said. “Truthfully, after he broke his maiden, the lightbulb turned on, and he figured it out. He has really come a long way in a short period, and I could not be more proud of him.”

Lafontaine, fourth against older horses in an optional claimer Sept. 1, likely will be an outsider again in the Kent. The top two choices on the track’s morning line are the Todd Pletcher-trained Divine Oath, the winner of the Grade 3 American Derby at Arlington Park two starts ago, and Cabo Cat, third in the Grade 3 Saranac at Saratoga and the winner of the Manila Stakes at Belmont Park in June.

KEY CONTENDERS

Divine Oath (Last 3 Beyers: 84-87-84)

◗ This deep closer cuts back in distance after a sixth-place finish in the Grade 1 Secretariat at Arlington. All four of his stakes performances fall within the narrow range of 83 to 87 on the Beyer scale.

DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Pletcher is just 2 for his last 12 in graded stakes at Delaware, including a sixth-place finish by Interactif at 5-2 in the 2010 Kent.

Cabo Cat (Last 3 Beyers: 83-86-89)

◗ He has appeared in nine consecutive stakes, but the lone win during that span came three starts ago in the one-mile Manila. In two previous tries going 1 1/8 miles, he was seventh in the Grade 3 Palm Beach and beaten 7 1/2 lengths in the Grade 3 Saranac.

Lafontaine (Last 3 Beyers: 83-82-80)

◗ He managed to slightly improve his career-best Beyer despite an awkward start while facing older horses earlier this month. “His last race was against older horses, so that was not an easy race, and he only got beat a length and a half,” said Charalambous.

Craftsman (Last 3 Beyers: 70-82-58)

◗ He was seventh and 10th in his two previous tries in graded stakes. He won his lone try at Delaware in the 7 1/2-furlong Nick Shuk Memorial.

DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Motion is 0 for his last 9 in graded turf stakes at Delaware, including a seventh-place fifnish by Chappy at 5-2 in the 2010 Kent.

Bashart (Last 3 Beyers: 83-81-83)

◗ A Grade 2 winner at 2, he has not been better than fourth in three starts this season, although he was only a neck behind Cabo Cat last time out.