DelCap Recap and Photos (Part 1)

Today and Tomorrow will be my recap of this year's Delaware Handicap. Even though there was a short field, the crowd may have been the largest that I've seen at Delaware Park. Royal Delta was the horse to beat even though she was coming off a poor result in the La T. We had been having some pretty hot weather and Saturday was no exception. However, where I was sitting and standing thorough out the day there was a bit of a breeze, but not much. By the time post time had arrived for the race, the fence area by the rail where I usually stand, it was basically packed. 

As for the race itself, well Royal Delta didn't disapoint as Mike Smith slowed her down just enough where she just cruised for her fifth Grade 1 in her career. While she won't ever be mentioned in the same breath as say Rachel Alexandra and Mike's main girls Azeri and Zenyatta, she did make some history by becoming the first back to back winner of the race since Nastique did it in 1988 and 1989. Oh and she did it by taking off a second from her winning time from last year.

The following pictures where taken by me (Rachel Levine). I didn't get around to putting my copyright on some of these photos, but the next time I will be doing that. Keep in mind more photos are coming tomorrow!

Royal Delta in the post parade.

Centering who finished fourth in the race. I was honestly disapointed with how she ran.

The champ heading to the paddock

Runner up She's All In (1) and Summer Applause (2). 

And Why Not who ran okay in third.

Stay tuned for tomorrow for more pictures!!!

Delaware Handicap Photos (IMG Heavy)

A little late, but I thought I would share some of my Delaware Handicap photos that I took a few weeks ago. This is going to be basically to be a very image heavy post. Some of these photos you've seen if you follow me on Twitter, and some are those that I haven't posted before on either. This will be a pretty image heavy post and not all the photos I took will be in this post. However as I work through both these photos (and the Preakness day photos that I'm really far behind and will be posted on Facebook with a selected few posted on Flickr (my screename there is Horselane for those interested in knowing) it will be added to. A Facebook album will also be added to in the next few weeks. For now, I hope you all enjoy these photos!

Royal Delta (Empire Maker) and Tiz Miz Sue (Tiznow) battling it out in the stretch. The defending Ladies Classic winner would just hold off the local with Awesome Maria in third.

This was actually the photo I had entered into the America's Best Racing Fan photo contest, but didn't win (yes I'm a bit disapointed about that).





Global Power (Pulpit) the Sussex winner. Last year's Sussex was actually pretty awesome for me since the winner Mr. Ryder is a 1/2 brother to Red Duke who is Hard Spun's first Group/Graded Stakes winner. Global Power doesn't have the siblings like that, but his second dam is 1994 Canadian Horse of the Year Alywow, which makes his dam a half to Century City (IRE). Sorry for the photographer in the way!






The beautiful and talented Awesome Maria (Maria's Mon). Right after I took this photo, I went on Twitter and wrote "Awesome Maria is a beast". She looked to be about  1/2 inch taller then the other fillies in the race and her build was more muscilar. Unfortanlly, it looks like she's taken after her two Uncles, Discreet Cat and Discreetly Mine in the distance limitations catagory. She was third in the race.









I think Kisses for Love (A.P. Warrior) knew she was a bad girl after she dumped her rider Jeremy Rose while warming up. Both horse and rider where fine and finished third in the race. This is her coming back to be remounted after being caught. She is the niece to G2 placed Smooth Bid.









Ponies waiting for the horses to come out to the track before the first for the post parade and warm up. As a sucker for chestnuts with white faces I love the horse in the line with the palominos and closes to the rail.







Utley (Smart Strike) before the Sussex. He is a 1/2 brother to 2yo Champion Filly in Europe, Rainbow View. I assume he is named after the Phillies 2nd baseman Chase Utley considering his owner George Strawbridge is from this area.








Dust and Diamonds (Vindication) dusting the Dashing Beauty field. I will have a Pedigree Look post on her next week.






Tiz Miz Sue and Joe Rocco Jr. before the race. She ran better then anyone thought she would I think. However, I'm not really that suprised because she gave Havre de Grace everything she wanted in last year's Obeah.















Alpha Mike Foxtrot (Two Punch) winning the baby race before the Sussex. His dam is a multiple stakes winner, Shashobegon.





















Delta and Mike Smith after the race. What a game effort she gave. Hopefully she does well against It's Tricky in the Personal Ensign.

A Day at Delaware Park

You've heard of Railbirds, but have you heard of Gatebirds?
Saw this guy before the feature and just had to get a picture of
him for my sister who adores birds.

Since I wasn't able to go to Baltimore for the second leg of the Triple Crown on Saturday, I decided to do the next best thing. I made my way to my local track which of course is Delaware Park.

The feature for the day was the Joseph French Memorial featuring last year's Oaklawn Handicap winner Win Willy. He also defeated Old Fashioned in the Rebel as a 3yo which gave the then undefeated colt his first loss. He would go onto race one more time, before being retired due to an injury. Willy ran awesome finishing a closing second to Not Abroad who I saw finish a good second back in 2010 in the Barbaro. This was his season debut. Malibu Glow who ran in last year's Travers finished third in the race.

Also running on Saturday where Morrow Code who finished 6th in the Instant Racing at Oaklawn. She won her race, maybe we see her on Belmont day in the Go For Wand? Sue's Sweet Sioux, half sister to last year's Obeah runner up Tiz Miz Sue also raced. She was third in her maiden to a Darley horse named Maria's Own.

Sue's Sweet Sioux before her race in
the paddock.

The race before the French, long time racing fans where in for a treat. The foals of two of the top fillies to ever run for Todd Pletcher and who are now mares at Darley ran against each other. Quarto who won the race is by AP Indy out of Octave who finished behind Dreaming of Anna in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in 2006 and Rags to Riches in the Kentucky Oaks in 2007. She would of course to win the Mother Goose and finish 3rd in the Distaff that same year before being sold to Darley and retired.

The runner up in the race was Steele Road who is by Street Cry (IRE) out of the great filly Ashado. All she did for Pletcher was win the Oaks, Coaching Club Oaks and Distaff the same year leading to 3yo Filly honors. The next year while she did win 3 G1 races, she really wasn't the same horse that she was at 3. Still, she had done more then enough to earn Older Female honors and was sold for then a world record to Darley as well.

Also in the race was 4th place finisher Horn Buckle, a son of Ghostzapper (who ironically defeated Ashado for Hall of Fame honors this year) out of Welcome Surprise. During her racing career, she won the Dogwood, but it's her pedigree that's more interesting. She is out of Weekend Surprise which makes her a 1/2 sister to none other then Summer Squall and A.P. Indy. Horn Buckle, is a 1/2 brother to Mr. Sekiguchi who cost $8,000,000 as a yearling but only could win 2 races in his career.

Edgewater in the paddock before the French.  Finished 5th
in the race.

Sadly, I missed the first race of the day by about 10 minutes so I don't have any photos of that. Also I don't have any of the finale which was for Arabians. The reason being is I wanted to get home quick enough to watch the Preakness. I also didn't get any bets in, because all the machines that I knew about where in use when I was thinking about making the bet. The crowd for

Not all of my pictures that I took are posted on today's post. Why? Because I ended up taking over 200 photos. Also there is not enough storage space to put them all up here. However, throughout the week I will be adding the photos to Facebook on the Furlong Drive page (the album should be public for those who don't have Facebook). You can find a link right here. So for now enjoy some of my other photos that I took. When will I get back to the track? Maybe in a few weeks if I don't go to the Belmont, maybe that weekend. However, more then likely Delaware Oaks and Delaware Handicap will be my next two times heading to the track.

Steele Road in the post parade

Off in the French!

Delaware Handicap Photo Diary (Undercard Part 1)

The following pictures are some of the undercard races I saw on Saturday. I got there just before the Sussex was about the head into the gate, so I don't have any of the post parade. Part 2 of the Undercard will be tomorrow and then the DelCap photos will be on Weds. This was the first time that I used my Rebel at the track, so not all the pictures came out to be perfect.

Mr. Ryder (Giant's Causeway) and Bim Bam (Deputy Wild Cat) battle it out in the Sussex. Mr. Ryder was coming off a win in an allowance race, Bim Bam off a runner up finish in the Manhattan.

Mr. Ryder wins in a photo! He actually became his dam Saudia's second stakes winner in a week. Last week, the Gone West mare's 2yo Red Duke (Hard Spun) won a Group 2 at Newmarket. Not bad for a mare who had won once in her life. Ironicly, Mr. Ryder's owner happends to be co-breeder of his little brother's sire.

Paddock before the Carpenter Memorial. This was the only race that I went down to possibly what is the most beautiful paddock in the US.

Outriders and their ponies in the paddock waiting to head to the track for the race.








The reason why there only a few photos is I didn't want to post to be too image heavy. Also I shot all of these Photos in RAW (which is simlar to a film negative), so it takes a little time to processes them all. However, more photos are coming!

TBA Photo Contest

It's that time of year for the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance's Photo Contest. There are many great entries this year which you can find and vote for here.

Here is my entry Life Wins which I named because well Life at Ten had just won the Delaware Handicap.

You can choose up to 10 photos in the voting. Then the Top 10 will be chosen (with one photo chosen per photographer)

Delaware Park: 2009 Meet photos (Part One)

Finally I have some great photos to share with you. Before I post them, I should note if you are interested in any of these photos to share with forums, blogs ect. Please, please let me know first and please keep the copyright symbol on. The reason why I ask is, I have had a photo stolen from me when I put it online once (and it wasn't that great of a photo since it was a disposable). However, this hasn't stoped me from sharing my photos with everyone.





Here are the following links to the photos.





A semi crummy photo of Susan's Girl winner Bon Jovi Girl in the paddock: http://thoroughgallery.com/main.php?g2_itemId=37





All Smiles who sadly broke down in the Obeah, I recently found out she was euthanized after devolping complications after her surgery: http://thoroughgallery.com/main.php?g2_itemId=26





Crummy photo of Delaware Oaks and Alabama winner Careless Jewel: http://thoroughgallery.com/main.php?g2_itemId=265





Barbaro runner up It Happend Again: http://thoroughgallery.com/main.php?g2_itemId=253



These are just a few, I hope to have the Fan Apprication Day photos up and ready to go withen the week. I promise to have several updates after the week of **** is over. Thankfully it's just a one week thing and I'll be back to regular posts just in time for the Breeder's Cup.