Whitten Way gets the job done in Blue Hen
Whitten Way was far from a sure thing at the top of the stretch in the $75,000 Blue Hen Stakes on Saturday at Delaware Park, but the 1-5 favorite eventually kicked into gear and surged ahead in a photo-finish victory. The 2-year-old filly is trainer Gary Capuano’s first juvenile stakes winner of the year.
Coming off another banner year with 2-year-olds in the Mid-Atlantic, Capuano seems to be blessed with another strong group in 2026, one that is currently led by Whitten Way. Now unbeaten in two starts under apprentice jockey Emanuel Rosario, she has fired from off the pace in both of her victories at Delaware.
Turning for home on Saturday, the heavy favorite still was not contending with the top flight, running on in fourth alongside the 9-1 outsider Olivia’s Legacy. For a moment, neither seemed like to make a compelling bid on the muddy track, but then they both moved at once.
“She got a little dirt in her face and started climbing a little bit, dropped back,” Capuano said. “She made another move around the turn a little bit, and then it just didn't look like she was going to fire today.”
Tiz Tapping, the pacesetter trained by Cal Lynch, took the lead into the stretch after completing the opening quarter-mile in 22.32 seconds and half-mile in 46.52. She managed to repel the stalking longshot Alma’s Gone Gamblin, but she had little left when the two closers came calling.
Olivia’s Legacy, a last-out maiden winner trained by Anthony Pecoraro, was farther back on the backstretch but arguably had more momentum in midstretch, surging ahead and holding a short lead over the heavy favorite.
Whitten Way persisted to her outside, however, and after grinding back into contention, she was not going to be denied at the wire. The Capuano trainee got up to win by a head, completing the six-furlong distance in 1:13.44 and paying $2.60 to win.
Tiz Tapping did not encounter another challenger and held for a comfortable third, 1 1/4 lengths behind Olivia’s Legacy.
“She just started grinding along with [Olivia’s Legacy] and didn't look like she was going to get there,” Capuano said. “She just grinded it out. It was a really nice effort.”
In Whitten Way’s debut in June, the filly earned a 72 Beyer Speed Figure in a game victory over her then-stablemate, Cha Cha Baby, who won her next start by nine lengths before selling for $460,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July digital sale last month. Bettors were quick to catch on in her stakes debut and will likely continue giving her similar respect for as long as she remains close to home.
With two wins under her belt at home, the precocious filly could soon get the chance to make better use of her status as a Maryland-bred with Laurel Park re-opening in September.
Tatters takes Dover via disqualification
It usually only takes a minute or two on the track for a horse to become a stakes winner, but the 2-year-old colt Tatters needed nearly a quarter-hour to lock things up in the $75,000 Dover Stakes on Saturday. Stewards took a long time reviewing the runner-up’s trip but eventually elevated him to first in a 15-1 upset.
Traveling through the stretch under steady rainfall, the 3-2 co-favorite Snowhomish appeared extremely green in front, brushing with Tatters to his inside and later crossing in front of him. Both incidents appeared to hurt the stubborn longshot’s chances, leading to a change in the order of finish.
Trained by Michael Matz, Tatters won his debut at Delaware last month in workmanlike fashion, holding on by a head in a 47,000 maiden special weight and earning a 42 Beyer Speed Figure. It was not an eye-catching showing and bettors were quick to back others in the field of six on Saturday.
But after stalking to win his first start, Tatters went straight to the lead under Julio Hernandez in his six-furlong stakes debut, completing the opening quarter-mile in 22.74 seconds. Sea Devil, the other co-favorite, stalked in second on the rail fading to fifth in the late stages.
Snowhomish, who earned a 71 Beyer in an 8 1/2-length maiden-claiming victory nine days ago, came closer to earning his favoritism in a stalking position under Carlos Rojas. The Jorge Delgado trainee advanced into second and challenged the early leader through a half-mile in 46.36.
The top pair vied around the far turn and Snowhomish came away with a short lead, but Tatters dug in to make a race of it in the stretch.
This determination made the difference, as Snowhomish struggled to maintain his path all the way to the wire. He finished three-quarters of a length clear and completed the six-furlong sprint in 1:12.39, but he interfered with Tatters at least twice to get there, leading to the disqualification. Tatters paid $33.60 to win.
Seven’s Nitro, one of two colts trained by Gary Capuano, made a belated move after starting last, but he had to settle for third. He finished a half-length behind Tatters and 1 1/4 lengths clear of his stablemate, Lucky Siete.
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