Peace and War lands in softer spot for Our Mims
Delaware Park continues its early meet series of Wednesday stakes this week with the Our Mims, a $50,000 race for 3-year-old fillies at a mile and 70 yards. The Our Mims is the local prep for the $300,000 Delaware Oaks on July 11.
Delaware has another stakes scheduled next Wednesday, the $50,000 Justakiss, a turf race for fillies and mares.
Joint Return, trained by John Servis, won last year’s Our Mims and is back to defend her title on Wednesday. She went on to finish second in both the Delaware Oaks and the Alabama at Saratoga. Fortune Pearl won last year’s Delaware Oaks for trainer Graham Motion, who has two horses entered in the Our Mims, Peace and War and Catcha Rising Star.
Peace and War, formerly trained by English horseman Olly Stevens, will be making her first start for Motion. Peace and War won the Grade 1 Alcibiades in her U.S. debut last fall at Keeneland and was being pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies before sustaining “a very slight tear of the tiny XYZ ligament at the base of her fetlock,” according to an Internet post at the time by Stevens.
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Peace and War was returned to the U.S. this spring and has raced twice against much tougher company than she will meet Wednesday. Peace and War trailed in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland and most recently was last against males in the Grade 3 Pat Day Mile on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs.
Motion has since given Peace and War two five-furlong works at Fair Hill.
Motion’s other entrant is Catcha Rising Star, who is 2 for 3 and coming off a 10 3/4-length first-level allowance win over three rivals at Pimlico on April 10. She has worked four times since May 3, and will be facing more seasoned rivals in this spot.
KEY CONTENDERS
Peace and War (Last 3 Beyers: 70-61-84)
◗ The only graded stakes winner in the field, she holds a big class edge over this group. The question is whether she is ready to show it today. It is difficult to say what her odds will be following her last two races.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 9 Peace and War. Trainer Graham Motion is 68-24-8-6 with a $3.69 ROI over the past five years in dirt routes in the third start following a layoff (17-6-1-1 in stakes races with those runners). Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Kawfee Fa Marfa (Last 3 Beyers: 79-75-74)
◗ She will be switching back to dirt after two good tries on turf for trainer Rick Violette Jr. She finished fourth in the Hilltop Stakes on Black-Eyed Susan Day at Pimlico in her last start. She was beaten only 1 1/4 lengths for second that day. The winner, Miss Temple City, is headed to Royal Ascot for her next start. Two starts back she was third behind Consumer Credit, who finished third in the Grade 1 American Oaks on Saturday.
◗ She is 1 for 1 at Delaware, having won a restricted stakes in her career debut last September.
Catcha Rising Star (Last 3 Beyers: 68-47-51)
◗ The second- and third-place winners in her April allowance win were beaten in their next starts.
Milaya (Last 3 Beyers: 84-65-61)
◗ She is still a maiden after five starts, but the 84 Beyer Speed Figure she earned when second to the Christophe Clement-trained debut winner Tidal Surge last out ties Peace and War’s Alcibiades number as tops in the field.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 8 White Clover. Trainer Larry Jones is 22-4-4-2 with a $0.78 ROI over the past five years going sprint to route following a win. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Cayman Croc. Trainer Kelly Breen is 17-5-2-4 with a $3.35 ROI over the past five years in dirt route non-graded stakes with last-out winners. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan