Ten Things You Should Know: Delaware Handicap

1) The Delaware Handicap is a Grade 2 race open to fillies and mares 3-years-old and up. It is run at a distance of 1 1/4 miles and is sometimes referred to as the “Del Cap.” This year’s edition is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series, the winner will qualify for the Breeders’ Cup Ladies' Classic in November.

2) The race is held at Delaware Park in Stanton, Delaware, which is located about ten miles from Wilmington, the largest city in the state.

3) The race was run for the first time in 1937 — the inaugural year of the track — as the New Castle Handicap. It has run under its current name since 1955.

4) In 1953, it became the first-ever $100,000 race for fillies and mares, making it the richest race in the world for female racers.

5) In 1955, Delaware Park started the Distaff Big Three, a series of three stakes races for fillies and mares, run on successive Saturdays that culminated with the Delaware Handicap. The series disappeared without a winner less than ten years after it began.

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