While most of his focus is on his 51-horse stable at Monmouth Park, Jorge Delgado admits he is keeping an eye on the trainer standings as the meet heads into its final two weekends (four days of live racing) starting on Saturday.

These days he likes what he sees, too – he and Chad Brown are tied for the lead with 18 wins apiece. A title would be the first one for the 35-year-old Delgado, who began training in 2017.

“We’re close. There are four more race days and we’re trying to be very active with the entries and we’re trying our best in every race to see if we can seal the deal,” he said. “I do look at the standings and I am watching what (Brown) is doing, since we are tied.

“Usually he has the best horses in every race he enters so it makes it more challenging. Even if he doesn’t run a lot at Monmouth Park the fact that he has the best horses is an advantage, I think.”

From an entry standpoint, the advantage will be with Delgado this weekend, since he has two horses entered in Saturday’s fifth race, two in the seventh and then one apiece in Sunday’s fourth and seventh races.

Brown has entered just two horses over the weekend, with two in Saturday’s ninth race and two in Sunday’s ninth race.

“He has a good chance in both races he is in this weekend,” said Delgado.

Like last year’s training title chase, when Claudio Gonzalez edged out Mario Serey, 34-32, on the final weekend, there’s a logjam at the top of the standings.

Juan Carlos Avila has 16 wins, Peter Synnefias has 15 and Kelly Breen, Chuck Spina and Silvino Ramirez each have 14.

“It makes it more interesting when there is competition like this,” said Delgado. “It creates a better environment for sure instead of having one guy with 100 wins and the next guy with 50.”

Delgado, who hails from Maracaibo, Venezuela, has been a fixture at Monmouth Park since 2022, finishing third in the trainer standings each of the past two years.

He makes no secret about what a first training title would mean, either.

“It would be a big thing, definitely,” he said. “I know a lot of people compete at this racetrack. A lot of good trainers race here and it’s a storied racetrack.

“But I want to win it first before I can say what it will mean. Right now I’m just going day to day.”

Delgado’s other challenge as Monmouth Park winds down is surpassing a 2024 campaign that was a personal best with 71 wins and $3,726,308 in earnings. He currently has 40 wins overall.

“It’s going to be close,” he said. “Fortunately, I have a lot of good horses that haven’t raced yet and we’ll probably go to the Breeders’ Cup with a few of them. Mythical, Madame Mischief, Bibi Dahl and Power Squeeze are all options for the Breeders’ Cup. We’ll make a decision as it gets closer.

“But I think the last four months will be the strongest part of the year for me.”

Before heading South for the winter to race at Gulfstream and Tampa Bay Downs he is singularly focused on the impact the next two weekends at Monmouth Park could have on his career.

“We’re going to enter a few the last weekend. Let’s say more than a few,” said Delgado. “So hopefully the races can go for them. I would say we’ll probably enter between five and eight horses for the final weekend if they go and then we’ll see what happens.”