Jesse De Long’s Delco Willobee continued his early season dominance of the three-year-old colt pacing set in the Prairie State on Friday night at Maywood Park as he rolled to a decisive 7-1/4 length triumph
in a career best of 1:54.1 over a “good” track in the $9,000 Gosox Stake.
Confidently handled by driver John De Long, this homebred son of Ft Apache Hanover-Kgbrina Willowbee settled in fourth in the early going as Indescribable (Marcus Miller) led the field through an opening quarter in :28.4.
Popping off the pylons as the field rolled by the opening marker, De Long and Delco Willobee began a slow and steady grind to the front moving into second just a length off the pacesetting Indescribable as the field reached the half-mile mark in :58.3.
“I really wasn’t worried about having to be outside for so long because this horse has proven to me that he can take as much air as he needs to,” said De Long after the victory. “If you look at his lines last year at all those fairs you can see I really never put him on the front and just sat outside with him until it was time to go and he always responded well for me.”
Heading up the backside for the final time, De Long decided it was “time to go” and Delco Willobee responded impressively as he overpowered Indescribable and quickly opened up a three-quarters of a length advantage as he moved by the three-quarter-mile mark in 1:26.2.
“He really felt good the entire way around and all I did was chirp to him on the backside and he blew right by the horse that was on the lead,” said an excited De Long.
Leaving no doubt about who was the best in this group, the Jesse De Long trained gelding quickly opened up a 3-1/2 length advantage heading around the final turn and then proceeded to widen his advantage all the way to the wire while pacing home in an effortless :27.4. Indescribable held on for second and Finance The Master (Todd Warren) was third. J H S (Mike Oosting), who caught everyone’s attention with an impressive win last week at Balmoral, broke a hopple while following the cover of the winner on the backstretch and made a break eventually winding up 18-1/4 lengths back in last.
“I never asked for anything after we blew by the leader on the backside,” explained De Long. “Even though he won all those races at the fairs last year now he’s learning to go fast and just like he has in those other wins this year he was doing everything on his own tonight.”
The win was the third in as many starts this year for Delco Willobee, who now boasts 11 career victories in 15 starts (eight consecutive wins). Next up for the gelding will be his first start over a mile track in the Cardinal elimination’s at Balmoral Park on Wednesday, May 26.
(With files from Maywood Park)