BY MONMOUTH PARK PRESS OFFICE (EDITED)
OCEANPORT, NJ—Pressed early by Five Dreams and Speaking and then pressured for most of the stretch by Downtownchalybrown, Florida-bred Dean Delivers dug in for a half-length victory in Sunday’s $100,000 Rumson at Monmouth Park—earning his fourth straight stakes victory. The 5-year-old Stonehedge LLC homebred gelding is now undefeated in his four starts since moving to the barn of trainer Edward Allard in May.
The odds-on favorite in the field of six 3-year-olds and older, Dean Delivers paid $2.80 to win.
“I was a little nervous about the one post going five-eighths because I knew [jockey] Jamie [Rodriguez] would have to use him pretty good to keep his position,” Allard said. “I was starting to worry about it around the turn, but Jamie told me when he asked him to run, he picked it up and took off.
“I think those two horses that got a short lead on him going into the turn were trying to take his game away. Jamie rode such a smart race. He didn’t worry about it because he knew he had a horse that would kick late. It was a little nerve-wracking though.”
Dean Delivers now has nine wins, eight seconds and two thirds from 25 career starts with $787,660 in earnings.
“How good is he? I think his form speaks for itself right now,” Allard said. “I’m not sure what’s next. We’ve got visions of grandeur but I don’t know whether they’re realistic or not. We’ll see.”
Dean Delivers broke sharp in the five-furlong contest, yielded the lead to Five Dreams early, then saw Speaking loop three-wide midway through the final turn to take the lead from both. Downtownchalybrown followed Speaking’s move on the outside with Rodriguez skimming the rail.
Dean Delivers and Downtowncharlybrown hooked up mid-stretch, with Dean Delivers and Rodriguez prevailing to win in a final time of :57.72 on the fast track.
Five Dreams was another two lengths back in third. They were followed in order by Speaking, Aggrandize and Chuck Willis (Ire).
“He had to work for this one,” Rodriguez said. “He hasn’t run five furlongs for a while, since he broke his maiden. But nothing seems to bother him. Once I got to the quarter pole, I asked him and he went. When we broke, I was going to wait and see how things played out. He broke sharply but he did not need to be on the lead. I just wanted to be within a half-length or next to the other speed because I knew I had horse. I just had to wait for the moment.
“Once I saw a horse coming outside coming out of the turn I said `okay, let’s go.’ I maybe only hit him twice in the stretch. I was pretty confident with him today. Every time he runs now he gets better.”
Rodriguez has been aboard Dean Delivers for his past three stakes victories.
Dean Delivers is out of Slick and True, by Yes It’s True. Slick and True has five winners from seven starters with Dean Delivers as her only stakes winner. She has an unraced 2-year-old filly, J J’s True Bet, by Gentlemen’s Bet and was bred to both Lone Sailor and Strike Power in 2023. Slick and True is a third-generation mare from the Stonehedge LLC breeding program. Slick and True is out of the Florida-bred stakes-winning mare Slick Lady, who was bred by the late Gil Campbell. Campbell purchased Dean Delivers’ third dam, Beaty Sark, for $40,000 at the 1987 Fasig-Tipton July Yearling Sale.
Brock Sheridan contributed to this story
