The 2010 Breeders’ Cup Marathon winner, Jim Atwell and Kevin Jacobsen’s Eldaafer tops a field of eight entered in the mile and seventy yard $75,000 DTHA Governors Day Stakes.

Since notching a 1 ¾-length score in the mile-and-three-quarter Grade III Breeders’ Cup Marathon at Churchill Downs in November of last year, the Kentucky-bred conditioned by Diane Alvarado has posted a record of two victories from six starts.  In his most recent, the 6-year-old son of A.P. Indy notched a half length victory in a mile-and-a-sixteenth allowance at Delaware Park on August 17.  He sports a career record of 11 wins and five thirds from 30 starts.

“He is doing really well,” said trainer Diane Alvarado.  “He came out of his last race in great shape. He is pretty classy and he knows when he wins, but he also needed that race.  He worked a half on Saturday, as easy maintenance half, and he is ready to run.”

The year-end objective is to have him defend his Breeders’ Cup Marathon.

“It is still a little bit away, but if everything goes right and nothing changes that is the goal,” she said.  “Hopefully, we will run well on Saturday and then come back in the Marathon.  It is kind of setting up the way it did last year.  He won at Laurel in August and then we went to Turfway in September and after that we went into the Breeders’ Cup, so it is all kind of falling back and we hope it turns out the same way as last year.”

He has won on the turf, poly track, Aqueduct inner dirt and dirt from distances ranging from a mile-and-forty-yards to a mile-and-three-quarters.

“He is so versatile and you can really put him anywhere and he will run well,” she said “He runs well on any surface, turf or dirt, it does not matter.  But distance wise, he can go a mile-and-a-half or a mile-and-a-sixteenth.  He has been running solid all year, he is fit and he likes Delaware, so we are looking for another solid effort.”