The first stakes of the Delaware Park meet, the Our Mims for 3-year-old fillies, is worth $50,000 but attracted multiple graded-stakes competitors as the local prep for the $300,000 Delaware Oaks (gr. III) July 9.
The June 8 Our Mims, at one mile and 70 yards, attracted a field of 11 before scratches. Six of the fillies have competed in graded stakes including Cottonwood Stables' Midnight On Oconee, who was second in the grade II Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in February.
Trained by Larry Jones, who is stabled at Delaware Park, Midnight On Oconee (by Midnight Lute ) broke her maiden in her career debut last summer at the Delaware track.
The Our Mims also attracted Nation's Racing Stable's Martini Glass, who is undefeated in three starts but races in a stakes for the first time. Trained by Keith Nations, who has a stable at Delaware Park this year, the Kitalpha filly out of the Run Softly mare Glassy was claimed by Nations for $16,000 at Tampa Bay Downs in her career debut in February and since has won two starter allowance races at 1 1/16 miles.
"Her dam was a pretty nice mare who made a couple hundred thousand racing in Southern California, she looked to be pretty good, and every now and then we take a shot with a first-timer in a claiming race," Nations said. "We took a shot, and we got lucky."
Trainer Shug McGaughey entered Phipps Stable's Browse, a Medaglia d'Oro filly who has two wins and a second in three starts, all around one turn. The homebred is out of the A.P. Indy mare Daydreaming, a multiple graded stakes winner who produced millionaire turf racehorse and current stallion Imagining, who stands at Heritage Stallions in Maryland.
The Our Mims is named for the only 3-year-old filly to win the Delaware Handicap (gr. I), which she did in 1977. Jeanne Mirabito of Our Mims Retirement Haven, a Paris, Ky.-based aftercare facility, will be on hand at Delaware Park to award the trophy to the winner of the Our Mims.
Delaware Park, Wednesday, June 08, 2016, Race 8Entries: Our Mims S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Miss Inclusive (KY) Joshua Navarro 122 John C. Servis 4/1 2 2Clair de Lune (KY) Alex Cintron 122 Chad C. Brown 6/1 3 3Little Cyclone (KY) Mychel J. Sanchez 117 Edward J. Coletti, Jr. 15/1 4 4Martini Glass (KY) Victor R. Carrasco 117 Keith Nations 12/1 5 5Dark Nile (PA) Joe Bravo 117 Arnaud Delacour 8/1 6 6Browse (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Claude R. McGaughey III 6/1 7 7Lookout Sister (KY) Trevor McCarthy 117 H. Graham Motion 8/1 8 8Dreams to Reality (KY) Kendrick Carmouche 117 Michael Dilger 12/1 9 9Midnight On Oconee (KY) Gabriel Saez 117 J. Larry Jones 9/2 10 10Valueable Charmer (FL) Erick D. Rodriguez 119 Gerald S. Bennett 12/1 11 11It's the Truth (NJ) Edgar S. Prado 117 H. Graham Motion 10/1
