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Joint Return, Blue Violet face off in Obeah

Joint Return will try to get back on the winning track in the Obeah (Calder/Coady Photography) Trainer John Servis is hoping to use Saturday's $100,000 Obeah S. (G3) at Delaware Park as a stepping-stone to the $750,000 Delaware H. (G1) on July 18 for Joint Return (Include). The dark bay filly is no stranger to the track, taking the Our Mims S. last year prior to a second in the Delaware Oaks (G2). She followed that effort with another runner-up placing, this time in the Alabama S. (G1) at Saratoga, before closing out her sophomore season with an unplaced run in the Cotillion S. (G1). Joint Return opened her four-year-old campaign with a fourth in the Top Flight H. (G3) on April 11 and could continue to improve in this spot after a third in the May 15 Allaire duPont Distaff S. (G3) at Pimlico. "The Delaware Handicap is definitely on the radar for us," Servis said. "She has shown us a fondness for the mile and a quarter distance and for Delaware Park, so we are definitely using the (nine-furlong) Obeah as a prep for the Delaware Handicap. We have been looking forward to the Delaware Handicap since the beginning of the season and we are really excited about our filly."

Another utilizing the traditional local prep is trainer Larry Jones, who enters Blue Violet (Curlin) in the Obeah off a fourth in the Allaire DuPont Distaff. The five-year-old mare could do no better than seventh in last year's running of the Obeah, but was fourth in the Houston Ladies Classic and a half-length third in the Doubledogdare S. (G3) to open this season. Last out in the Allaire duPont Distaff, Blue Violet was a neck behind Joint Return and just two necks out of second.

"Right now everything is on target for her," Jones stated. "She is doing good and we are looking forward to the race. The game plan is to use the Obeah Stakes as a springboard for the Delaware Handicap, so we do have the big race in mind for her. She is a five-year-old and this will be her last year of racing, so trying to get to the Delaware Handicap."

Also entered on Saturday is Fortune Pearl (Mineshaft), winner of last year's Delaware Oaks, and Natalie Victoria (Indian Ocean), who finished fourth as the defending champion of the Monmouth Beach S. while making her seven-year-old debut on May 24.

A couple of races earlier on Delaware Park's Saturday card, Donworth (Tiznow) heads a field of 11 in the $50,000 Stanton S. The dark bay sophomore followed a debut maiden win with a second in the Lexington S. (G3) and a third in the Sir Barton S. in his past two, and faces recent six-length allowance scorer Weekend Express (Any Given Saturday) in the 1 1/16-mile turf test.

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