BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Stonehedge LLC homebred Dean Delivers returned to the winner’s circle with a stylish victory in the $104,000 Mr. Prospector at Monmouth Park Monday, winning by eight lengths over a sloppy six furlongs against seven other 3-year-olds and older. The 5-year-old gelding topped a Florida-bred exacta in 1:10.43 as Gonzalez Racing’s Hollywood Jet was second, two lengths ahead of Little Vic in third.
Dean Delivers and jockey Miguel Vasquez started best of all from post seven with Hollywood Jet to his outside in second. However, Hurricane J and rider Jorge Delgado raced to the front from the inside coming out of the backstretch chute and led by a length ahead of the two Florida-breds through a quarter-mile in :21.67.
Dean Delivers and Hollywood Jet went on the attack around the far turn, passed Hurricane J approaching quarter pole to finish the half-mile in :44.74.
Dean Delivers drew off in the stretch and galloped home with an easy victory to win for the first time since taking the Grade 3 Smile Sprint at Gulfstream Park going six furlongs last July. He was let go at odds of 9-2 in the Mr. Prospector after finishing off the board in two previous starts this year.
He was fifth behind winner Run Classic in the $129,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint on Feb. 24 and fourth in the $100,000 NYRA Bets Sprint won by Mish on Florida Cup Day at Tampa Bay Downs on May 27.
Trained for the first time by Edward T. Allard, Dean Delivers also provided Vasquez with his third victory of the day.
Dean Delivers paid $11.80 to win.
“I didn’t have him before this race but I have trained for [Stonehedge LLC] for years and this is a Florida-bred so they felt they needed to keep him in Florida,” Allard said. “He tailed off there because of the heat. They decided to freshen him up a little bit. I got him about six or seven weeks ago and he has been training dynamite. But it took about a week for him to come alive again with energy and he did with the cooler weather. I think he’s good on a fast racetrack also. I think he just needed a little freshening up and it’s a little cooler here than it is in Florida. So I think the rest and the sloppy racetrack helped him today.”
Bump N Run was fourth with 3-2 favorite Counterspy, Machen’s Ridge, Hurricane J and Florida-bred Khozeiress completing the order of finish.
“He’s a little more mature compared to when I rode him last year and the year before that,” Vasquez said. “But he has always been good. He’s just a very nice horse. Being in a stalking position like he was in this race is when he is at his best. So I was very happy with the trip I got. The slop helped but this horse was sharp. When he broke well, I knew we would be okay.”
It was the sixth career victory in 22 starts for Dean Delivers, who has eight seconds and two thirds. The $60,000 first-place check increased his lifetime earnings to $562,660.
Dean Delivers is by Stonehedge Farm South stallion Cajun Breeze 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.
Return to the May 28 issue of Wire to Wire
