Secretintelligence tops strong Delaware feature

Four horses who have combined for nine stakes victories and four placings in graded events provide more than a touch of class to Monday’s featured ninth race at Delaware Park.

The six-furlong sprint is open to horses who have not won $28,000 in an allowance or stakes this year or $65,000 claimers. None of the seven horses is entered for the optional claiming price.

The most accomplished runner in the field is the 7-year-old Secretintelligence. Although he is winless in three starts since taking the restricted New Castle last August, Secretintelligence owns four stakes wins and has been no worse than second in 11 of 15 starts locally. He most recently was within a half-length of the lead at the stretch call before fading to fifth in the six-furlong Changing Times at Penn National.

Prince Joshua is the classiest horse in the field, but also the one with the biggest question mark. As a 3-year-old last season, Prince Joshua was good enough to win minor stakes at Calder and Monmouth, picked up a third in the Grade 2 Carry Back on Calder’s Summit of Speed program, and was regarded highly enough by his connections to run in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop at Saratoga. He has been off since finishing third in the Grade 3 Kenny Noe on Dec. 26 and will be making his first start for trainer Alejandro Reyes, who came into the weekend 0 for 99 in 2010, including 49 losses at the Delaware meet.

The lightly raced 4-year-old Happy Bull merits respect on the basis of his 2-for-2 local record and his third-place finish in last year’s Grade 3 Jersey Shore at Monmouth Park. His trainer, Tony Dutrow, is winning at at 32 percent clip (11 for 34) at Delaware this season.

Two years ago, Lovango finished third, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, in the Grade 3 Count Fleet at Oaklawn. Since winning the second stakes of his career in the Shot of Gold at Canterbury in June 2009, however, Lovango has finished fifth three times, including his first appearance at Delaware a month ago.

Gold Trippi was ambitiously spotted in the Grade 1 Forego on closing day at Saratoga last summer after winning a minor stakes early in the meet. He comes into Monday’s race trying to break an eight-race losing streak.