No Such Word could like longer distance

As a 2-year-old last summer, No Such Word lost both times she ran at Delaware Park. But her trainer, Cindy Jones, feels confident those losses had more to do with running at the wrong distance than No Such Word's dislike for Delaware's main track.

"Those were sprint races," said Jones, referring to the fourth- and third-place finishes No Such Word recorded going 5 1/2 and six furlongs. "She was not going to be a sprint horse. We knew the longer she went the more effective she would be."

No Such Word will get a chance to show she can handle Delaware Park's surface when she heads a field of six 3-year-old fillies for Saturday's $75,000 Go for Wand Stakes. The 1 1/16-mile Go for Wand is the local prep for the Grade 2, $250,000 Delaware Oaks on July 10.

No Such Word flourished at Oaklawn Park, where she won 2 of 4 starts, including the Grade 3 Honeybee.

"She really became a different horse once we got her to Arkansas," Jones said. "The difference between her last year and this year is significant. She has matured, filled out and she has racing on her mind."

Most recently, No Such Word came from far back to finish second, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico.

"She ran really hard in the Black-Eyed Susan," Jones said. "She tried to run down the speed, and we wanted to find a spot where we could get her ready for the Delaware Oaks. We want to give her a trip over this track and make sure she likes it before we either aim for the Oaks or head someplace else. She certainly trains well here."

The main threat to No Such Word looks like Havre de Grace, who has won 2 of 3 starts for Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farms. She will make her stakes debut after winning her first start of the season going a mile at Philadelphia Park on May 10.

"We are going to see what she is capable of," trainer Tony Dutrow said. "She has had really everything go her way so far, so we are going to see her very best Saturday, and I am hoping it is good enough."