BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Stonehedge LLC’s well-traveled Dean Delivers attempts to stretch his current stakes-winning streak to three Sunday when the Florida-bred ships to Laurel Park to face nice rivals in the $150,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at six furlongs.
After making the first 16 starts of his career in his native Florida culminating with a two-and-a-quarter-length score in the Grade 3 Smile Sprint at Gulfstream Park on July 1 of last year, the 5-year-old Dean Delivers has raced at five different tracks in his last seven starts.
He finished third to Elite Power in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt at Saratoga on July 29 then finished off the board in the $150,000 FTBOA Gil Campbell Memorial at Gulfstream in October. He next went to Tampa Bay Downs to finish second to Shaq Diesel in the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Marion County in December.
He started the year finishing fifth in the $129,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint on Feb. 24 then disappointed again when fourth in the NYRA Bets Sprint against Florida-breds at Tampa Bay on March 24.
He was then sent to trainer Edward Allard’s barn in the northeast and responded with victories in $104,000 Mr. Prospector at Monmouth Park on May 27 and in the $125,000 Alapocas Run at Delaware Park last out on July 8.
In his last two victories, Dean Delivers defeated several De Francis rivals. Little Vic was third in the Mr. Prospector while Prince of Jericho and Gordian Knot were second and third respectively in the Alapocas Run.
“[Trainer] Bo Yates had the horse in Florida and he did a wonderful job with him. He made a lot of money and he did very well,” Allard said. “But during the winter months, he started to tail off a bit and they thought it was starting to be a little too much for him, which it can do down there.
“He was a little quiet when he first shipped up but after he was here for about a week, he just turned into a different horse. He’s been training really well [and] he looks great,” he added. “His last two performances were superb, so I’m hoping that he can continue on.”
By Stonehedge Farm South stallion Cajun Breeze out of Slick and True, by Yes It’s True, Dean Delivers is a Stonehedge LLC homebred with seven career wins from 23 starts with eight seconds and two thirds.
He has drawn post nine and Jaime Rodriguez will ride.
Prince of Jericho brings his consistent record to the De Francis Dash having finished in the top three in 12 of 14 career starts.
His last victory came in an upper level, $55,000 optional claiming at Laurel in February before missing by a nose to finish second to Coastal Mission in the $100,000 Frank Y. Whitely on April 13, also at Laurel. He was then third over a sloppy track in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint won by Super Chow at Pimlico on May 18 before going in the aforementioned Alapocas Run.
Prince of Jericho is trained by Brittany Russell for Michael Dubb and Morris Bailey and has earnings of $375,450 from five wins, five seconds and two thirds.
The 4-year-old son of Munnings will have Sheldon Russell in the irons and they have post four.
Gordian Knot makes his third start for trainer Jamie Ness and tries to win for the first time since taking the $75,000 Salvatore M. DeBunda Sprint at Parx Racing in August from a different barn.
In two other starts for Ness, the son of Briardale Farm’s Florida-based stallion Social Inclusion was seventh in a $50,000 optional claiming at Parx on May 13 and fifth in the $114,000 With Anticipation on the Penn National turf on May 31.
Gordian Knot has won half of his 12 career starts with three thirds while earning $455,930.
Mychel Sanchez takes the call of Gordian Knot from the inside post one.
Rounding out the field are Alwaysinahurry with Jorge Ruiz taking the call, Seven’s Eleven with rider Angel Cruz, Awesome Aaron and jockey Jeiron Barbosa, Sibelius has no rider yet named, Little Vic with Carlos Olivero named to ride, Five Dreams will have J.G. Torrealba up and Andy Hernandez will be on Twisted Ride.
