High Expectations for Cardinal Pace Showdown (06/04/10)

Posted Friday June 4, 2010
                                               
                                                       By Mike Paradise
  
  After watching impressive performances by all three winners of last weekend’s three Cardinal stake elimination races I think it’s safe to say we’re in for quite a horse race in this Saturday’s $56,000 Championship.

   We’ll talk tomorrow about the Erv Miller stable’s powerful one-two punch of elimination victors Power Of A Moment and Ima Bonsera. Going into this season both youngsters were expected to be major players in the ICF 3-year-old colt division after their sterling freshman campaigns

  The same can’t be said for the third Cardinal elimination winner Delco Willobee. The homebred was strictly a fair track horse as a two-year-old. However he has now blossomed into a legitimate division contender at three. He’ll open as the morning line’s 4-1 third choice in Saturday’s champiosnip.

  After dominating three small ICF stakes earlier at Maywood the homebred raised more than a few eyebrows in the Balmoral Park paddock with his first start ever on a big track.

  Delco Willobee’s winning time was 1:51.1, the margin over his nearest competitor was almost seven lengths, and the horse paced his last half in a stunning: 52.3.

  “I’m speechless with his performance out there tonight,” said his very excited young driver John De Long after the race. “I’m so happy with it I don’t know what to say.”

  After watching the television reply of the race in the Balmoral paddock John still had a wide grin on his face when he said: “Delco Willobee came a half in 52 and change and a last quarter under 26 seconds. The horse is a freak of nature.”

  Did John realize just how speedy Delco Willobee was pacing in his big track debut?

  “I had no idea he was pacing that fast of a last half,” replied the 21-year-old Wisconsin native. “I thought we got down to the half a lot faster than 57.3. I thought it was more like 55 and change.”

 Delco Willobee won 8 of 12 starts in his first season strictly on fair tracks in Illinois and Wisconsin and this year was 3-for-3 in his first trio of pari-mutuel starts at Maywood Park but after his remarkable Cardinal elim, you can’t refer him a half-mile track specialist anymore.

  “The bigger track and the longer stretch didn’t make a difference to him,” continued John, who drove four winners last night at Maywood. “He was just as aggressive racing first over and I was then able to get a nice hold on him. When I wanted him to go I just laid the whip on his back and he took off. I had a good hold on him when he coasted to the wire.”

  The gelded son of Ft. Apache Hanover is owned, trained and was bred by John’s dad Jesse of Clinton, Wisconsin. Delco Willobee only banked $12,540 as a two-year-old. He has $19,500 on his card this season with the first of several lucrative ICF stakes ahead beginning with Saturday’s $56,000 Cardinal Final.

  Delco Willobee’s freshman mark was 2:02 paced on the Sandwich Fair Track last summer. The horse has now paced almost 11 seconds faster and I believe there’s more in his tank.

  Like I said, Saturday night’s Cardinal showdown should be one heck of a horse race.

    To view Archived Notes and Quotes click here. 

                                                                                            Balmoral Park Photo

                  Delco Willobee (John De Long) was impressive in his Cardinal elimination.