Delaware Handicap 2015 at Delaware Park

Las Vegas, NV - Delaware Park in Wilmington, Delaware will play host to the Grade 1 Delaware Handicap on Saturday, July 18. Fillies and mares three years old and upward will be featured when they take to Delaware Park's dirt track and go 1 1/4 miles searching for the winner's share of the $750,000 purse.

Seven older females will take part in the Delaware Handicap - race 10 on Delaware Park's stacked Saturday card. Post time is 5:45 PM. Here is a look into the past performances of all seven combatants for this lucrative Grade 1 stakes - the main event on Delaware Park's summer meet.

2015 Delaware Handicap Race Favorite Entries

Sheer Drama 2/1 - won the minor Thirty Eight Go Go Stakes at Laurel Park in September and went on to a ninth in the minor H.B.P.A Stakes at Presque Isle Downs September 25. She has been consistently good in five starts in 2015 however - a win in the Grade 2 Royal Delta Stakes at Gulfstream in March and four runner-up finishes - all in stakes company. She enters this week on the heels of two of those second place finishes -behind Frivolous as favorite in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Handicap June 13 and the Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes May 1 - both results at Churchill Downs. Sheer Drama now has 17 career starts overall with four wins, eight seconds and a third place finish and enters this week having been in every race the last six months and in the best form of her career. Joe Bravo has been tabbed to ride the morning line favorite from post 5 Saturday.

Frivolous 3/1 - has 20 career starts for trainer Victoria Oliver with four wins, three seconds and three third place finishes and enters off a good win at 32-1 odds in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Handicap at Churchill Downs June 13. That result followed a disappointing ninth in the Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes, a sixth in an Allowance Optional Claiming in April and another good win in the Grade 2 Falls City Handicap to end her 2014 campaign. Frivolous has been a tad inconsistent but when right is a serious threat as evidenced by her win last time out. Jon Kenton Court gets the call aboard the morning line second choice from the rail.

Delaware Handicap 2015 | Remaining Contenders

Flashy American - finished third in this race last year which followed a second behind Molly Morgan in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Handicap at Churchill Downs June 14, 2014 and a career best performance - a win in the Grade 3 Sixty Sails Handicap in April of last year. She hasn't been great since however placing in just two of her last seven starts. Last time out was an OK second in the minor Iowa Distaff at Prairie Meadows June 26 which followed a fifth in the Grade 2 Azeri Stakes in March and a decent second in the Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes in February. Flashy American failed to place in four starts prior to that. She looks for her first win in 17 months Saturday and enters in so-so form having recorded runner-up finishes in two of her last three. Edgar Prado will be in the reins hoping to gain back a little momentum for the Kenneth McPeek trained mare - from gate 4 as the 4/1 third betting choice.

Rosalind 6/1 - Chad Brown trained filly has placed in eight of 15 career starts and enters off a fourth in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes June 6 which followed a terrific win in the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay Stakes May 2. Before that was a fifth in the Grade 2 Santa Ana Stakes in March and a second in the Grade 3 Suwannee River Stakes at Gulfstream February 7. She did win the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes in a dead heat in April, 2014 as well and did record a third after rallying from 16 lengths back in the 2013 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies but has struggled to find consistency since. Rosalind has placed in just two of her last eight starts overall, is the only Grade 1 winner in the field and although she's looked great at times this year, she hasn't been great at others. Jockey Joel Rosario hopes to change all that when Rosalind departs from gate 6.

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Joint Return 8/1 - John Servis trained filly had a pair of good seconds - in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga last August 16 and behind Fortune Pearl in last year's Delaware Oaks July 5. Before that was a win in the minor Our Mims Stakes June 4. She also had a 4 1/2 length win in the minor Busher Stakes at Aqueduct February 1 after another pair of wins at Parx in winter/2014. Joint Return has been just OK in three starts in 2015 - a fourth last time out in the Grade 3 Obeah Stakes on this track June 20 followed a seventh in the Grade 3 Distaff Stakes at Pimlico in May and an Allowance Optional Claiming score in April at Keeneland. She has four wins, two seconds and a third place finish in 11 career starts and looks for her first stakes score since a win on this track a year ago. Kendrick Carmouche has the mount from the outside post 7 at an intriguing 8/1 on the morning line hoping to build on a record of a win and two seconds in three starts on this track.

America 8/1 - Bill Mott trained filly won three straight races this past winter at Aqueduct - the best of which was the minor Affectionately Stakes January 1. She has struggled in two graded stakes starts since - a fifth last time out in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Handicap followed a seventh in the Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes in May - both results at Churchill Downs. America has four wins and two third place finishes in 15 career starts and looks for her first graded stakes score in her tenth try with Junior Alvarado aboard from gate 2.

Fortune Pearl 10/1 - H Graham Motion trained filly has four wins, two seconds and a third place finish in 10 career starts and posted a terrific win in the Grade 2 Delaware Oaks last July 5 which followed a good third in her graded stakes debut - the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico in May. She has been a tad up and down since - a seventh last time out in the Grade 3 Distaff Stakes at Pimlico May 15 followed an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Keeneland in April and a fourth in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga in August. Fortune Pearl has placed in four of her last six starts, is the most experienced against top company of any of the entries for this race and will have Trevor McCarthy in the saddle from post 3 Saturday.

2015 Delaware Handicap Entries & Odds

Race 10 on Delaware Park's Saturday card with a Post Time of 5:45 PM.