Wilmington, Del., September 9, 2026 — The Delaware Certified Thoroughbred Program will be in the spotlight Friday at Delaware Park with six restricted showcase races worth a combined $650,000. The card features the $125,000 Tax Free Shopping Distaff, $125,000 New Castle, $125,000 Small Wonder, $125,000 First State Dash, $75,000 Lewes and $75,000 Ogletown, all restricted to Delaware-bred or certified horses.

Trainer Gary Capuano, a longtime supporter of the program, has entered 12 horses across the six showcase races.

“We have been a part of the Delaware Certified program almost from the beginning,” said Capuano, who has won eight Delaware Certified Thoroughbred Program showcase races. “Over the last four or five years, we have really focused on the program. One of the big reasons it works for us is because we have mostly dirt horses, and there are plenty of dirt opportunities during the summer at Delaware Park. It has created more opportunities for our horses with larger purses. It has been a fantastic program and has worked well for us over the years.”

Capuano said a key part of that success has been certifying horses at Marlyn Meadow in Middletown, Delaware.

“We have been fortunate to have a lot of nice horses go through the program,” Capuano said. “We have also been fortunate to work with Lynn Ashby at Marlyn Meadow for the past 15 years or so to get our horses certified. It has been a team effort, and Lynn and her crew have done a phenomenal job with these horses at an important stage in their development.”

Capuano will send out Pinochle Partners’ Dwelling Legacy and Frank Sample’s Onyx Ten in the Tax Free Shopping Distaff, a six-furlong race for fillies and mares.

“They are two nice fillies,” he said. “Onyx Ten has been fantastic. She was a little disappointing last time as a heavy favorite, but we got into a speed duel and things did not set up the way we expected. She is coming into this race great. Dwelling Legacy is coming off a layoff, but she is training nicely for her return. The timing fits, she is fit and we think she can be in the picture.”

Capuano also entered full brothers Haileysfirstnotion and Great Quality in the New Castle, a six-furlong race for older males. Both are owned and bred by Daniel Crowley and Non Stop Stable.

“Haileysfirstnotion always shows up,” Capuano said. “He has been training well, he has been consistent and he is tough. It is always exciting when he runs. We also got his little brother, Great Quality, into the race. I have not been able to find a good spot for him, but he has run some solid races and when things go his way, he is tough. He has been training fantastic as well. I was not planning on running them together, but maybe the brothers can run one-two. They breeze with each other, so they know each other pretty well. It will be interesting to see how they race against each other.”

Capuano also entered Paul Fowler’s Intrepids Fantasy and Intrepid Mo in the Ogletown, a mile-and-seventy-yard race for fillies and mares.

“Both of those fillies have been doing well,” Capuano said. “Obviously, Intrepids Fantasy is three-for-three now. She just ran, so I am going to play it by ear with her, but her last race was awesome and she has been doing so well that we have to consider this race. Both of these horses are ready to go.”

For more information about the Delaware bred or certified program, visit https://www.dtha.com/dctp/.

$125,000 Tax Free Shopping Restricted Handicap
(Restricted to Delaware Bred or Certified)
For  fillies & mares 3-year-olds and up
at six furlongs

PP HORSE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY Wg OD
1 Sassafrassness Morris Kernan & Jagger Jamie Ness Paco Lopez 123 4-1
2 Onyx Ten Frank Sample Gary Capuano Emanuel Rosario 123 9/5
3 Irish Jig Denselbeck & Deiter Kelly Lynn Dieter Vincent Cheminaud 120 10-1
4 Dwelling Legacy Pinochle Partners Gary Capuano Yedsit Hazlewood 121 3/2
5 Pure Love Hardesty Stable Michael Moore Andy Hernandez 125 4-1

$125,000 New Castle Restricted Handicap
(Restricted to Delaware Bred or Certified)
For  3-year-olds and up
at six furlongs

PP HORSE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY Wg OD
1 Spikezone Johnson, Lo & Jagger Jamie Ness Jamie Rodriguez 121 6-1
2 Chipotle On Your Left Racing Michael Gorhan Raul Mena 121 10-1
3 Wickeddivine Bonuccelli Racing Kenneth Cox Jeiron Barbosa 121 4-1
4 Great Quality Crowley & Non Stop Gary Capuano Paco Lopez 123 10-1
5 Haileysfirstnotion Crowley & Non Stop Gary Capuano Yedsit Hazlewood 121 9/5
6 Quint’s Brew Berube, Linnell & Hu Edward Allard Forest Boyce 123 3/2

$75,000 Lewes Restricted Handicap
(Restricted to Delaware Bred or Certified)
For  3-year-olds and up
at one mile and seventy yards (Turf)

PP HORSE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY Wg OD
1 Shaft’s Bullet Paul Fowler Gary Capuano Yedsit Hazlewood 120 12-1
2 Understudy Kitty Runnymoore Racing Michael Matz Vincent Cheminaud 120 4-1
3 Hanksdivingrod AJ Will Win Stables Henry Walters Julio Hernandez 120 15-1
4 Galatown Guy Blue Pup Stable Michael Catalano Ajhari Williams 117 10-1
5 Magical Mondays Harry Kassap Tim Woolley Jeiron Barbosa 120 12-1
6 Picture This Lowell Kinch Steve Klesaris Jose Batista 120 8-1
7 Crabs N Beer Michael Foster Keri Brion Martin Chuan 120 8-1
8 Dominguez Richard Hackerman Mark Shuman Jamie Rodriguez 120 15-1
9 Babble R Racing Stable N. Herman Bailon Emanuel Rosario 117 8-1
10 Pont Aven Day At The Races Michael Trombetta Mychel Sanchez 117 9/2
11 Sam Stormy Robert Taylor III Mario Roberto Lopez Paco Lopez 120 8-1
12 Give It a Whirl Runnymoore Racing Mark Beecher Samuel Marin 120 10-1
13AE Grouch Jose Lozano Sanchez Jose Lozano Sanchez Edwin Gonzalez 120 3-1
14AE Secret Zipper Frank Sample Gary Capuano Paco Lopez 120 4-1
15AE Very Volatile Oak Tree Stable Gary Capuano Yedsit Hazlewood 119 5-1

$75,000 Ogletown Restricted Handicap
(Restricted to Delaware Bred or Certified)
For fillies and mares  3-year-olds and up
at one mile and seventy yards (Turf)

PP HORSE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY Wg OD
1 Beautiful Blome Blanford & Haupt Anthony Pecoraro Paco Lopez 120 5-1
2 Pink Ruby Larry Nafe Lindsay Schultz Martin Chuan 124 3-1
3 Intrepid Mo Paul Fowler Gary Capuano Yedsit Hazlewood 124 4-1
4 Golden Elb Micrphn Michael Annechino Jonathan Maldonado Jesus Rios 120 12-1
5 Getaway Palace Seale & Barber Christopher Seale Julio Hernandez 120 15-1
6 Old Bay Runaway Point Farm Mark Shuman Jamie Rodriguez 120 15-1
7 Intrepids Fantasy Paul Fowler Gary Capuano Emanuel Rosario 121 8/5