Monday, July 06, 2009

NEW OUTFITS TARGET DELPARK

WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, July 5 – Over the coming days look for an influx of more horses from about a half dozen or so new trainers to the Stanton-oval.

Steve Margolis, Neil Howard, Brad Cox, Robert O’Connor, Wallace Dollase and Helen Pitts-Blasi are among the new outfits shifting their operations east to Delaware Park this summer.


“We will have about twenty horses,” said trainer Steve Margolis. “I talked to some of my clients. We talked about what to do with the Ellis Park meet cutting a lot of days and Delaware was the answer. We have about 32 horses total. We will have about 20 at Delaware and 12 back at Churchill. It is just so hard to stay at Churchill and have thirty plus horses and ship to Ellis and Arlington in the heat of summer. We thought it was a good opportunity to come to new a place and Pat (Pope, racing secretary) has a good facility and program in Delaware. We are just really hoping it works into something good for everybody. We got some 2-year-olds, older horses and some claimers. So, I think we got a nice group that should fit in well.”

Trainer Robert O’Connor will have approximately a dozen horses at Delaware Park.

“I grew up in Kentucky,” said trainer Robert O’Connor. “I have moved around in my career a lot. Having a stable of about 15 horses, it is just not conducive for us to stay at Churchill and ship to Arlington Park, Ellis Park and Presque Isle during the summer months. I have raced in Tampa for the last few years. I picked up a couple clients down there. While I was in Tampa this past winter, Delaware Park sent a contingent. It was Jed (Doro, assistant racing secretary) and John (Mooney, executive director of racing). They were down there for a while and I spoke with them a couple of different times. They asked me if I ever thought about relocating. I told them I am a good old Kentucky boy and I had to go to the Churchill meet, but they asked me to keep Delaware Park on my mind. I am looking forward to coming to Delaware. I hear a lot of good things about the race track and there are a lot of good things happening at Delaware.”

Neil Howard will be bringing approximately 22 horses, Helen Pitts-Blasi will have approximately ten, Wallace Dollase will have approximately ten, and Brad Cox will have approximately a dozen, including a possible Delaware Handicap contender in Temple Street, who recently ran third in the Grade II Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs on June 13.

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