Delaware Handicap at Delaware Park
Las Vegas, NV - The Grade 2 Delaware Handicap is on tap for this Saturday, July 21st from Delaware Park. Horses three years old and upward will go 1 ΒΌ miles on Delaware Park's main dirt track in search of their share of the $750,000 purse.
Seven horses have been entered in the Delaware Handicap - a win guarantees a spot in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic in November. It is race 10 on Delaware Park's Saturday card with a post time of 5:45 PM. Let's take a look at the seven entries and what brought them to this lucrative and important Grade 2 event.
2012 Delaware Handicap Race Favorites
Royal Delta - looked good in winning the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Handicap last time out on June 16th at Churchill Downs after a less-than-scintillating ninth in Dubai before that. Royal Delta proved that she is a horse to contend with in November with a win in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic to end a 2011 campaign that included wins in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes and Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.
Awesome Maria - Todd Pletcher trained Awesome Maria had an incredible streak of six straight wins (all graded stakes races) stopped in the most recent start which resulted in a third in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps. She has four Grade 3 wins - the Sabin in 2011 and 2012, the Rampart in 2011 and 2012, she won the Grade 2 Shuvee Handicap and the 2011 Ogden Phipps as well. Awesome Maria is a force and will be looking to get back on track this weekend - she is hard to doubt based on previous performances!
Delaware Handicap 2012 | Remaining Field Entries
Pachattack - won the Grade 3 Doubledogdare Stakes in April in her first start of 2012 after a fairly productive 2011. Pachattack was third in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic in November and before that finished second in the Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes on October 9th. She also had a second in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign Invitational Stakes at Saratoga a month before that. Pachattack has raced in seven straight graded stakes races with two wins, two seconds a third, a disappointing eighth in the Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes at Arlington last spring and most recently an uncharacteristic sixth in the Grade 3 All Along Stakes at Colonial Downs. She loves the big races and fares very well in most.
Love and Pride - is the other Todd Pletcher filly entered and has raced five times in 2012 - four graded stakes races. Last time out was a terrific win in the Grade 3 Obeah Stake here on June 16th to follow a decent second in the Grade 3 Allaire DuPont Distaff Stakes at Pimlico on May 19th. She also had a fourth in the Grade 3 Sixty Sails Handicap at Hawthorne and a respectable second at the Grade 2 Top Flight Handicap at Aqueduct. Love and Pride has five wins, two seconds and four third place finishes in 13 career starts and is another solid contender based on recent form.
Delaware Handicap betting at OffTrackBetting.com
Tiz Miz Sue - has four wins and two second place finishes in eight career starts on this track including an impressive second in this race last year to eventual Horse of the Year Havre de Grace and a very good second last time out in the Grade 3 Obeah. She won her first graded stakes race on March 17th - the Grade 3 Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn and she has placed in all five of her starts in 2012. Tiz Miz Sue is close to prime time and is yet another horse to watch.
Cash for Clunkers - has seven career starts with four wins two seconds and a third place finish including three straight wins before a decent second last time out ahead of Awesome Maria in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps at Belmont in May. That result proved that Cash for Clunkers belongs in the big time and can certainly be competitive in stakes action.
Daring Reality - is definitely the long shot in this race with just one win in the last 11 starts. So far in 2012 Daring Reality has a seventh in the Grade 3 Allaire Distaff at Pimlico in May and a third last time out in the minor Lighthouse Stakes at Monmouth.
