Light Hearted might produce Delaware Oaks runners

It has not been an easy opening month for Delaware Park, which began its season weeks earlier than usual, struggled to fill races, and canceled three scheduled programs due to a lack of entries. But, on Wednesday at least, things are looking up for the Stanton, Del., track as it holds its first stakes of the year, the $50,000 Light Hearted, which could produce a runner or two for the Grade 3, $300,000 Delaware Oaks on July 6.

Delaware has seven Thoroughbred races Wednesday and closes with an 11-horse Arabian maiden race. Three of the Thoroughbred races are on turf – a positive development since the track did not use its grass course until May 25, putting it at a competitive disadvantage in the turf-driven Mid-Atlantic region.

There are 52 entries in the seven Thoroughbred races, a reasonable 7.43 per race. And even if the mile and 70-yard Light Hearted doesn’t generate any Delaware Oaks starters, it has attracted a sporty-looking field of nine topped by Pat’s No Fool, winner of the New York-bred Maddie May at Aqueduct for Gary Capuano; Fashion Faux Pas, who won the Sandpiper at Tampa Bay Downs for Arnaud Delacour; and Our Super Freak, who has placed in five stakes and is long overdue to win one for Jamie Ness.

The field also includes the Chuck Lawrence-trained Zonda, who won her career debut by 11 3/4 lengths at Laurel Park; the Keith Nations-conditioned Proud Mandate, who is 2 for 2 with wins at Monmouth and Parx Racing; and Remarkable Soul, who Graham Motion entered for the main track only in last Saturday’s $200,000 Penn Oaks and then scratched when the race stayed on the turf.

Nonsensical, an April maiden winner at Belmont Park, is entered in the Light Hearted and as main-track-only in the Grade 3 Wonder Again on Thursday at Belmont. With dry weather in the forecast, she is expected to race at Delaware.

Our Super Freak has been remarkably consistent facing stakes company in Maryland in her last six starts. She just missed winning the $125,000 Weber City Miss by a nose to Las Setas following a hard-fought stretch battle in April. In the lone poor effort of her 10-race career, she finished last of eight in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan on May 17 at Pimlico.

Ness worked her a bullet half-mile on Saturday at Delaware and will equip her with blinkers Wednesday. Trevor McCarthy stays aboard.

Like Our Super Freak, Proud Mandate is stabled at Delaware. She won a Monmouth maiden race in her career debut for Nations last August, went to the sidelines, and then returned to win a 6 1/2-furlong Parx allowance from off the pace May 7.

Fashion Faux Pas has made her last two starts on turf for Delacour. She opened a clear lead on the far turn of the one-mile Hilltop at Pimlico on the Black-Eyed Susan undercard but flattened out in the final furlong and finished third in the 10-horse field. She has good speed and should be prominent throughout the Light Hearted.

Remarkable Soul won a 1 1/16-mile maiden race in March under McCarthy. In her lone start since, she raced forwardly in a Keeneland allowance on turf but lacked a rally and finished fourth of five.

And finally, who doesn’t like a romping debut winner like Zonda? We’ll find out more about her on Wednesday.