Delaware Park may have new ownership, but the track’s 85th season of live thoroughbred horse racing will look much the same when it kicks off Wednesday.
Most of the leading trainers and jockeys from recent years are back, and the track’s two biggest races – the Grade III, $300,000 Delaware Oaks on July 2 and Grade II, $500,000 Delaware Handicap on July 9 – will keep their prominent mid-summer spots on the nation’s racing calendar.
First post time for each of the 88 racing days has been moved up to 12:30 p.m., with racing on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays each week. Friday racing will be added June 10 through July 8 and Aug. 26 through Nov. 4.
The 30th annual Owners Day – featuring two $100,000 stakes – will be Oct. 1. Two $100,000 races for 2-year-olds will be highlighted late in the meet, with the White Clay Creek Stakes for fillies on Oct. 14 and the Rocky Run Stakes for all 2-year-olds on Oct. 15.
The meet will conclude on Breeders’ Cup Saturday, Nov. 5.
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The Rickman family, who owned the racetrack and casino for 38 years, sold the property late last year to Clairvest Group Inc., a Toronto-based private equity firm, and Rubico Gaming LLC, a newly formed subsidiary run by investor Thomas Benninger.
Delaware Park is the 30th casino and racetrack invested in by Clairvest. Rubico recently took ownership of the Louisiana Downs racetrack and casino, and Benninger is involved in several casino and gaming companies, including as a member of the board of directors of Caesars Entertainment Corp.
Jamie Ness is returning to chase his eighth straight training title, which would break a record set by Grover “Buddy” Delp from 1963-69 and Scott Lake from 2002-08.
Gary Contessa, a longtime trainer on the New York circuit, is back for his second full meet at Delaware Park. Contessa came out of retirement to become the private trainer for locally based Bell Gable Stable, owned by Nick and Delora Beaver, who won the 2021 DelPark title as leading owner.
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“This place has a country atmosphere and the people are so nice, so I have always enjoyed coming here and I also have had a lot of success here over the years,” Contessa told Delaware Park racing information coordinator Chris Sobocinski. “… I came into the meet last year looking down my shed row not knowing what to think and we wound up winning the leading owner title. We really scraped and scrapped to get to that point.”
Other trainers who will be stabled in Stanton include Lake, Cathal Lynch, Juan Arriagada, Gary Capuano, Andy Simoff, Anthony Pecoraro, Mike Gorham, Jane Cibelli, Lynn Ashby, Baltazar Galvan, Michael Stidham, Tim Ritchey, Ben Perkins Jr., Kelly Rubley, Graham Motion, Greg Compton, Brittany Russell, Victor Carrasco Jr., Chelsey Moysey, Edward T. Allard, Sam Cronk, John Robb and Arnaud Delacour.
The top three jockeys from last season – Jaime Rodriguez, Carol Cedeno and Daniel Centeno – are also returning.
Rodriguez is the primary rider for Ness. Cedeno has won six Delaware Park riding titles in the past, and is motivated to get No. 7.
“I have the same approach to this season as I have had every other season which is to keep fit, work hard every day and to be ready to go for my trainers,” she said. “Was I disappointed not to win the title last season? Yes, I certainly was because Delaware is my home and I am proud of everything I have accomplished here. But we still had a great meet and the hard work and dedication was rewarded.”
Angel Suarez, Raul Mena, Skyler Spanabel, Roberto Alvarado Jr., Aubrie Green and John Hiraldo are among the other riders scheduled to compete.
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@gannett.com.
