Maker seeking easier company with Lilies N Paradise in Blue Hen

Lilies N Paradise, a 2-year-old filly trained by Mike Maker, will ship to Delaware Park in search of class relief in the $75,000 Blue Hen Stakes on Thursday.

“Looks like she’s a cut below the Kentucky horses,” Maker said. “Hopefully, we can get her stakes-placed down at Delaware.”

In her June debut at Churchill Downs, Lilies N Paradise closed from fourth to win a $113,000 maiden special weight over Pulstar, a next-out winner at Saratoga. Maker kept his filly at Churchill and entered her in the $225,000 Debutante later that month, but she was clearly a step behind the best runners in that field and finished fifth.

:: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!

The Maxfield filly, a $200,000 purchase at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s April sale of 2-year-olds in training, opens as the 2-1 morning-line favorite on Thursday at Delaware.

While Maker brings a single runner in the hopes of overwhelming a softer field, trainer Anthony Farrior is relying on strength in numbers. He will likely scratch Edy’s Flame, leaving him with Blames Honey and Sassy Fox in the field of eight.

Sassy Fox’s owner, Chris Melton, previously collaborated with Farrior when he purchased Chunk of Gold for $2,500 at auction last year. Farrior trained him at Laurel early in his juvenile season before Melton sold half interest. Ethan West took over his training in Kentucky, and he has since run in the Kentucky Derby and recently won the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby.

Farrior was impressed by Sassy Fox’s 7 1/4-length victory in a $30,000 maiden-claiming race at Colonial, but he also spoke highly of Blames Honey’s performance nine days earlier at Charles Town. Facing other West Virginia-bred rivals in a $30,000 maiden special weight, the filly broke a step slow and made a sustained rally to win by two lengths.

“The day she ran, she broke slow and took some dirt,” Farrior said. “Had to check her a little bit and then she ran on. In the morning, she’s probably my best 2-year-old filly.”

Dover Stakes

Just as Farrior is doubling his chances in the Blue Hen, Lynn Ashby is bringing in two similarly well-intentioned geldings for the $75,000 Dover Stakes. Both runners are live in the wide-open field of eight.

Ashby co-owns both geldings and entered them at Delaware for their July debuts. The trainer was complimentary of Majestic Blue, who pulled away to win a $25,000 maiden-claiming race by 4 1/2 lengths on July 3. Lundi Loot appears to have a slight edge, however, as he won a $45,000 maiden-claiming race by seven lengths on July 16.

“He’s a character,” Ashby said of Lundi Loot. “He’s on his hind legs a lot, feels good all the time. He’s just on the go. I was so happy with him because I was expecting a lot more fireworks, but he was very professional.”

Lundi Loot and Majestic Blue are 8-1 and 10-1 on the morning line, but it’s difficult to differentiate between contenders in the Dover. Magic Wallet, the 5-2 morning-line favorite for Claudio Gonzalez, won a $70,000 maiden special weight at Colonial in a three-way dead heat last month.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.