BY BROCK SHERIDAN

A pair of accomplished Florida-bred geldings in Sunny Breeze and Dean Delivers will race in the green and white colors of Marilyn Campbell’s Stonehedge LLC Saturday at Laurel Park in the $100,000 Dave’s Friend Stakes for nine 3-year-olds and older set for six furlongs.

Both trained by Edward T. Allard, Sunny Breeze and Dean Delivers will attempt to become the first Florida-bred winner of the Dave’s Friend since 2015 when Always Sunshine, a homebred for Campbell’s late husband Gilbert G. Campbell won. Allard also trained Always Sunshine.

Both Sunny Breeze and Dean Delivers make their second start off a layoff Saturday while facing each other last out when third and seventh respectively in an upper tier, $55,000 optional claiming won by Petingas Twin going six furlongs at Laurel on Oct. 19. Petingas Twin is also entered in the Dave’s Friend.

That was the first race since July 11 for graded stakes-placed, stakes-winner Sunny Breeze. He was third in an upper level, $40,000 optional claiming going six furlongs at Penn National. Sunny Breeze won last year’s $99,000 Concern at Laurel in July and was second to Bentornato in the Grade 2 Gallant Bob at Parx Racing in September.

 

Dean Delivers was making his first appearance since July 16 when third, less than a length behind winner Smooth B, in a upper level, $50,000 optional claiming at Delaware Park. He started the year with a third to Florida-bred Buccherino in the $100,000 Mr. Prospector at Monmouth Park in May and was fourth in the $168,000 De Francis Memorial Dash won by Dave’s Friend rival Subrogate at Laurel on June 28.

Dean Delivers is a winner of nine of 31 career starts, including three straight stakes victories in July through September of last year; and earned graded stakes-winning credentials in 2023 with a two-and-a-half-length score in the Smile Sprint (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

The 6-year-old son of Stonehedge Farm South stallion Cajun Breeze out of Slick and True, by Yes It’s True has also banked eight seconds and five thirds in a career with $845,710 in earnings.

Sunny Breeze has three lifetime wins with a second and three thirds in 10 starts with earnings of $214,890. Also by Cajun Breeze, Sunny Breeze is out of the Khozan mare Love My Sunshine, a half-sister to Always Sunshine.

Sunny Breeze has post seven and is 8-1 on the morning line while Dean Delivers is 15-1 in the program and has drawn post nine.

No rider has yet been named on Sunny Breeze nor Dean Delivers.

Subrograte has post one and is 5-1 on the morning line with jockey Jevian Toledo and Petingas Twin is 6-1 with Yedsit Hazlewood riding from post two.

Rounding out the field are Twisted Ride at 8-1 with Andy Hernandez taking the riding assignment, Uncle Cat with Tais Lyapustina up, Angel R. Rodriguez will guide Showstopper Copper, Maximus Meridius will be ridden by Mychel Sanchez and Sheldon Russell has the mount on 5-2 favorite Prince of Jericho.

Return to the November 19 issue of Wire to Wire