Dean Delivers. (Maryland Jockey Club)
David Joseph/Maryland Jockey Club
LAUREL, Md. – Stonehedge homebred Dean Delivers capped a successful and emotional day for his connections, leading all the way around and repelling a late bid from 40-1 longshot Five Dreams to register a three-quarter-length triumph in Sunday’s listed $150,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash.
The 33rd running of the six-furlong De Francis for 3-year-olds and up, first run in 1990 and named for the late former president and chairman of both Laurel and historic Pimlico Race Course, headlined a 10-race program featuring four stakes worth $450,000 in purses.
Prior to the De Francis Sunny Breeze improved to 3-0 lifetime in the $100,000 Concern for 3-year-olds, Apple Picker was a popular winner of the $100,000 Alma North for fillies and mares, and Frosted Departure led all the way in the $100,000 Deputed Testamony for 3-year-olds and up.
Favored at 7-5, Dean Delivers added his name to an illustrious roster of De Francis winners that includes Housebuster – who beat fellow Hall of Famer Safely Kept in 1991 – and sprint champion counterparts Cherokee Run, Smoke Glacken, Thor’s Echo and Benny the Bull.
In addition, Dean Delivers ($4.80) joined Sunny Breeze in providing a stakes double for jockey Jaime Rodriguez, 78-year-old trainer Edward T. ‘Ned’ Allard, and Florida-based Stonehedge, which continues to operate under Marilyn Campbell following the death of her husband, Gil, in 2021.
“This particular sprint has always been on my bucket list and it hadn’t happened yet until today, so that’s really neat,” said Allard, a winner of nearly 2,800 races best known for his work with Hall of Fame mare Mom’s Command. “I always wanted to win this race. This is kind of a special sprint race in Maryland. I started coming to Bowie in the 60’s with George Handy and it’s been a long haul, and Maryland has always been one of my favorite spots.”
Though racing first time in Maryland Dean Delivers has acclimated well to his new surroundings at Delaware Park, where he arrived in the spring after having raced almost exclusively in his native Florida since the summer of 2021. He extended his win streak to three in the De Francis following an eight-length romp in the May 27 Mr. Prospector at Monmouth Park and a 2 ½-length score in the July 8 Alapocas Run at Delaware.
“I think the Mid-Atlantic weather has helped. He’s really blossomed up here. He’s put on some weight, he looks great, he feels great, and he’s running great,” Allard said. “The only flaw today, I was hoping there would be a little speed that we could run at and there wasn’t, so he had to kind of go wire to wire, and that made me a little nervous.”
Situated outside his six rivals, Dean Delivers broke alertly and found himself on the lead through a quarter-mile in 22.50 seconds with Five Dreams on his outside in second and Group 1-winning millionaire Sibelius third shadowed by multiple stakes winner Seven’s Eleven – making his first start in five months – on the rail in fourth.
Dean Delivers remained in front after going a half in 45.43 and straightened for home with Five Dreams hanging tough to his outside and the rest scrambling for position. Five Dreams continued in determined pursuit, but Dean Delivers refused to yield and crossed the wire in 1:10.10 over a fast main track.
“My horse just outbroke everybody else and I let him get comfortable in the beginning and once they got next to me, he was game. Every time a horse came up to me, he just wanted to go,” Rodriguez said. “When we got to the top of the lane and changed leads, I tipped him out just a hair and he just keep going. He can run, that horse.
“I wasn’t that concerned [in the stretch] because I know he likes to run with horses, and I felt like it was going to do me a favor because every time [Five Dreams] got next to me, my horse just took off,” he added. “In the beginning I said I don’t want to use him too much, and once he got so relaxed and that horse got next to him, he just kept going.”
Gordian Knot finished third, 1 ¼ lengths behind Five Dreams, and it was another 1 ¾ lengths back to Prince of Jericho in fourth. Grade 3 winner Little Vic, Sibelius and Seven’s Eleven completed the order of finish. Multiple stakes winner Alwaysinahurry; Twisted Ride, third in Saturday’s Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G1) at Saratoga; and Awesome Aaron were scratched.
Dean Delivers improved his lifetime record to 8-8-2 with four stakes wins and $727,660 in purse earnings from 23 starts. Last summer he won Gulfstream Park’s Big Drama and Smile Sprint (G3) and was third in the Vanderbilt in successive starts for previous trainer Michael Yates.
“He dug in and gave it his best effort today,” Allard said. “We’re very proud of him.”
