Barabaro’s trainer Michael Matz will return to Delaware Park when the season opens on April 22. Matz, who stables at the nearby Fair Hill training center, has been a regular at DelPark for several years.
Matz sent Barbaro to victory at Delaware in his debut last summer. Barbaro joined a list of major Triple Crown players who ran at DelPark at 2, including Afleet Alex, Bellamy Road, High Limit and Victory Gallop.
Smarty Jones was based at nearby Philadelphia Park as a 2-year-old, but his trainer, John Servis, has often run his horses at Delaware. This year he will have about half his string at Delaware full-time and keep the other half in Philly.
Servis will bring his star 4-year-old filly and Fantasy-winner Round Pond to Delaware, aiming ultimately at the $1 million Delaware Handicap in July. She is owned by Delaware resident Rick Porter, who had the hard-hitting filly Jostle.
Trainer J. Larry Jones won the Delware Handicap last year with Island Sand, shipping in from Kentucky. This year he will move his tack to Delaware, though he doesn’t have a DelCap prospect at this point.The large purses (thanks to slots) were attractive to him. So,he said, was the “great racing atmosphere.”
The trainer of Kentucky Derby candidate Sweetnorthernsaint, Michael Trombetta,will move from Maryland to Delaware this year. Barclay Tagg, trainer of Funny Cide, also will be among the new trainers there Park. Tagg been shipping to Delaware on occasion from elsewhere on the East Coast.
Other returning DelPark regulars include Tim Ritchey (Afleet Alex), Scott Lake, Graham Motion (who trains turf star Better Talk Now), Michael Pino, Michael Gorham and Steve Klesaris.
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