Piece of My Heart in top form

Trainer Mac Robertson was once a regular at Delaware Park, but up until a few weeks ago hadn’t run a horse at the track since 2016. While his stable is zip for 11 so far this meet, he is well positioned to make an impact Saturday, when Piece of My Heart starts as the filly to beat in the Grade 3, $300,000 Delaware Oaks.

Other contenders in the field of eight are Comical, who won the Grade 3 Schuylerville and just missed in the Grade 1 Chandelier last year, and Princess Cadey, seven-length winner of the Beyond the Wire at Laurel Park in March.

The Oaks is a qualifier for the rescheduled Kentucky Oaks. The top four finishers will earn points (50-20-10-5) for the Sept. 4 race.

From 2010-16, Robertson split his summer operation between Delaware and Canterbury Park in Minnesota, where he has topped the trainer standings 13 times. Robertson went 178 for 765 at Delaware, winning at a 23 percent clip. He was a top-five trainer each year from 2011-15 and finished second to Jamie Ness in 2015.

Piece of My Heart was scooped up for $7,000 by Mac’s father, Hugh Robertson, at the 2018 Keeneland September sale. Hugh Robertson started her off at Arlington and brought her for the winter to the Fair Grounds, where she won a maiden race in her fifth start.

Sent to Mac Robertson at Oaklawn Park, Piece of My Heart came up empty and finished fourth in a first-level optional claimer at the 1 1/16mile distance of the Delaware Oaks. Her two starts since make her a major player Saturday.

Piece of My Heart stalked and then used a sharp move to the lead on the far turn to take an Oaklawn first-level allowance by a length at 6-1 on April 10. Her Beyer Speed Figure jumped from a 67 to an 85.

Returning three weeks later at 8-1 in the Gardenia Stakes at Oaklawn, Piece of My Heart went to the lead and was never headed while holding off Comical by 1 1/2 lengths. The resulting 87 Beyer bodes well for her in the Oaks.

As part of Robertson’s Delaware string, Piece of My Heart has the benefit of five works over the local surface, which gives her a hometown edge over what can sometimes be a tricky track for shippers.

“It looks like she gets over the Delaware Park surface really well,” Robertson said. “Hopefully, she will run the same as last time. It took a little while for her, but she got awful good at Oaklawn and she is doing really good here.”

Joe Talamo, aboard in the Gardenia, will be in from Kentucky for the mount.

Comical was trying hard and slowly getting to Piece of My Heart in the Gardenia and would benefit if a contested pace develops. She will be making her fourth start since being turned over to Steve Asmussen. She was conditioned as a 2-year-old by Doug O’Neill. Alex Cintron rides.

Princess Cadey has been in steady training since her March 14 Beyond the Wire victory and has worked nine times for trainer Claudio Gonzalez during a period when racing ground to a halt in the Mid-Atlantic due to COVID-19.

The Delaware Oaks serves an appetizer for next Saturday’s Grade 2 Delaware Handicap. Although the coronavirus has resulted in Delaware trimming 20 days from its meet, reducing the Del Cap purse from $750,000 to $400,000 and its distance from 1 1/4 miles to 1 1/8 miles, the track held steady on the $300,000 purse of the Oaks.

Saturday’s card also includes the Grade 3, $125,000 Kent ($200,000 in 2019), a 1 1/8-mile turf race for 3-year-olds, and the $50,000 Christiana, a 1 1/16mile grass race for 3-year-old fillies.

Kent Stakes

Gufo – “owl” in Italian – hasn’t blinked in his last three races, closing from far back to win them all, including the English Channel at Gulfstream Park.

He already is a winner at the 1 1/8-mile distance of the Kent for trainer Christophe Clement but must be careful not to drop too far back and spot front-running Sunsation or Vanzzy an insurmountable head start.

Clement’s stable has been on a roll and through Wednesday is 12 for 60 (20 percent) at the Belmont Park spring meet and second in the trainer standings there. He also is 22 for 79 (28 percent) at Delaware Park since 2014.

Trevor McCarthy has the call on Gufo.

Others to watch in the eighthorse Kent are Pixelate, who has finished third in the Audubon and second in the War Chant at Churchill for Mike Stidham in his last two starts; the Graham Motion-trained Bye Bye Melvin, a half-brother to last Saturday’s Grade 2 New York Stakes winner Mean Mary; and Me and Mr. C, a Ned Allard-trained, Delawarebased half-brother to the hardknocking turf runner Abiding Star.

Florida shipper Sunsation also is competitive based on the 85 Beyer Speed Figure he earned winning a 1 1/8-mile first-level allowance race for trainer Kelsey Danner last out.