Yellow Ribbon Handicap 2013 Contenders at Del Mar

Las Vegas, NV - The Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap comes our way from California's Del Mar racetrack this Monday, September 2. Fillies and mares three years old and upward will be featured as they go 1 1/16 miles on Del Mar's turf track searching for the winner's share of the $150,000 purse.

A wide open field of 10 older females will line up in the Yellow Ribbon - race 9 on Del Mar's Labor Day Monday card. Post time is 6:00 PM. Here is a brief glance into the past performances of all 10 entries for this Holiday Monday stakes.

2013 Yellow Ribbon Handicap Race Favorite Entries

Halo Dolly - had seven wins in 12 races in 2012 including the minor Miss America Stakes in October and her best result - a win in last year's Yellow Ribbon Stakes at Del Mar on September 3. In her seven starts this year she has two wins, a second and two third place finishes - the wins coming in the Grade 3 Wilshire in April at Hollywood Park and last time out and in the minor Solana Beach Handicap here August 18. Her thirds came in the minor Golden Poppy Stakes as heavy favorite April 7 and the minor Luther Burbank Handicap at Santa Rosa July 28. She has won two of her last four starts for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer (the last coming on this track) and will carry the top weight of 123 pounds. Halo Dolly starts from post 7 with Rafael Bejarano in the saddle and is likely the favorite Monday.

Egg Drop - has nine career starts with three wins, two seconds and two third place finishes. She raced just once in 2012 to a third in an Allowance Optional Claiming but has six starts already in 2013 with two wins (in her last three starts) and a very nice second last time out in the Grade 2 Royal Heroine at Hollywood Park July 6. She has yet to win a stakes in her career but has looked very solid since switching to turf - a win and a second in two starts. Martin Garcia gets the mount from post 5.

Yellow Ribbon Handicap 2013 | Remaining Contenders

My Gi Gi - won her first graded stakes June 9 2012 - the Grade 2 Honeymoon Handicap over Lady of Shamrock and Stormy Lucy to follow an OK second in the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes on May 5. She had an OK fourth in the Del Mar Oaks last August and followed that with a fifth in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes at Santa Anita in September. She finished another ho-hum fifth in the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes in her first start of the year. Last time out was an OK third in the Grade 2 John C Mabee Stakes on this track August 11 after a third in the Grade 2 Royal Heroine Mile at Hollywood Park July 6. She has placed in just two of her last five graded stakes races but those results have come in her last two starts overall. Hopes are that she can continue to trend upward this weekend.

Closing Range - has 10 career starts for trainer Philip Oliver with five wins and a second place finish - the biggest win coming in November in the Grade 3 La Prevoyante Handicap at Calder. She has failed to place in her other three graded stakes starts including a tenth in the Grade 3 Orchid in March and a sixth in The Very One Stakes in February. Closing Range is coming off a win in the minor Osunitas Stakes however - her best result since November. She had been unimpressive before her last start so there is a little optimism for Closing Range ahead of the Yellow Ribbon.

Customer Base - finished 2012 with a nice second in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes at Santa Anita in October for trainer Tom Proctor and has placed in three of four starts of 2013. She had improved every start this year before stumbling a bit last time out to a fourth in the Grade 2 John C. Mabee Stakes here August 11 after a win in the minor Lucie Manet Stakes July 5, a second in the Redondo Beach Stakes June 9 and a third in the Great Lady M. Stakes in May. She has four wins in 14 career starts with two seconds and a third place finish.

Yellow Ribbon Handicap betting at Del Mar with OffTrackBetting.com

Royal Empress - Irish bred filly races for just the second time on North American soil after a third in her debut in an Allowance Optional Claiming August 4. She had just one win at home and that came June 9 to go along with a second and three third place finishes in eight starts. She will carry just 108 pounds and will have Julien Leparoux guiding her.

In the Stars - Brazilian bred mare had a decent career before shipping to North America - she recorded two wins, two thirds and a fourth place finish in five starts. She has looked OK in North America as well with last time out being her worst career start - a fourth in the minor American Beauty Stakes after a good second in the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes in April, a third in the Megahertz Stakes here January 19 and an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Hollywood Park December 14. In the Stars has been favored in four of her six U.S. starts, winning twice and she has finished in the money in 10 of her 12 career starts. She races for the first time since April Monday hoping to bounce back from that fourth last time out.

Quiet Oasis - made her 2012 debut with an impressive win in the Grade 3 Wilshire Handicap at Hollywood Park on April 29 and followed it up with a very good result - a second in the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes also on that track. She raced last July to another impressive score in the Grade 2 Royal Heroine Mile at Hollywood Park and then endured an eight month layoff. Quite Oasis returned March 24 to a respectable third in the Grade 2 Santa Ana Stakes and was an ugly seventh in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley April 13 at Keeneland. Last time out was another unflattering result - a ninth in the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch here August 3. She clearly hasn't been the same horse we saw in the spring/winter of 2012 but hopes are she can return to that form Monday.

A Jealous Woman - won three of six starts from July to January including the Megahertz Stakes January 19 and the Swingtime Stakes in October. She had a second in the Grade 2 Goldikova here in November as well but hasn't been the same since. She had an ugly seventh in the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes February 18, a fifth in the Grade 2 Santa Ana in March, a seventh in the minor Redondo Beach in June and an eighth in the minor Osunitas in July. Last time out was her best result in a while - a second in an Allowance Optional Claiming on this track August 8. She is another in the long line of Yellow Ribbon entries looking to get back on track Monday.

Appealing - Irish bred Patrick Gallagher trained filly is coming off a fourth in the minor Osunitas Stakes here July 20 after a ninth in the Redondo Beach Stakes and a nice win in a pair of Allowance Optional Claiming scores in April and in May. She was OK at home with two wins in eight starts before shipping to North America and will be looking to finally breaking through in stakes company Monday.