Frivolous Looks Best in Delaware Handicap

Frivolous enters Saturday's Delaware Handicap off a win in the Fleur de Lis. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
The 78th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Delaware Handicap brings together a field of seven at Delaware Park, led by recent Grade 2 Fleur De Lis Handicap winner Frivolous. Four other graded stakes winners line up as well, including Rosalind, winner of the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay Stakes on turf in May who is winless in five races on dirt. Sheer Drama finished second to Frivolous in the Fleur De Lis as the favorite and will try to run as she did two races before that when victorious in the Grade 2 Royal Delta Stakes.
Last year's Grade 2 Delaware Oaks winner Fortune Pearl attempts a reversal of form off two poor efforts, while Joint Return will try to improve off a runner-up effort last month in the Grade 3 Obeah Stakes over the track. Another attempting to improve off a recent runner-up effort is Flashy American, who hasn't won since a victory in the Grade 3 Sixty Sails Handicap 13 months ago. America, owned by superstar chef Bobby Flay, was a non-threatening fifth to Frivolous last month but won the Affectionately Stakes two races prior to that.
Frivolous posted the 32-1 upset just over a month ago in the Fleur De Lis Handicap at Churchill Downs, similar to the 19-1 upset she posted in the Falls City Handicap last November. With matching 108 Equibase Speed Figures from those efforts, the main question when assessing her chances in this year's Delaware Handicap is whether she can put two of those races back-to-back. It appears she can as in both races Frivolous raced second in the early stages before taking over in the stretch. This year's Delaware Handicap field is devoid of any true need-the-lead type, so from the ground saving rail jockey Jon Court can get Frivolous to the front from the start and control the pace, saving enough energy for her to win her second graded stakes in a row.
ROSALIND

Rosalind won the Sheepshead Bay Stakes in May at the distance of 1 3/8 miles on turf, which tells us this 1 ¼-mile distance should not be an issue. Earning a strong 108 figure comparable to the one Frivolous earned one month later in the Fleur De Lis, Rosalindthen moved to the main track and finished a non-threatening fourth in the Ogden Phipps Stakes on Belmont Stakes day. You might think the plan would be to put her back on turf, but one of the top trainers in the country, Chad Brown, scratched Rosalind out of a stakes race last weekend on turf to run in this race on dirt, even though she’s run on dirt five times in her career with three third-place finishes. There is very little chance I am going to second-guess the third-leading trainer in the country, with 108 wins from 368 starts this year and over $8.5 million in earnings. As such, Rosalind must be taken very seriously as a contender.
Sheer Drama has finished second in four of her last five races, all graded stakes. In her one win among those five races, Sheer Drama dominated in the Royal Delta Stakes by 6 ¾ lengths and earned a 113 figure. No match for Frivolous last month in the Fleur De Lis, if Sheer Drama can repeat her Royal Delta effort she might turn the tables on that mare and win this year's Delaware Handicap.
The rest of the Delaware Handicap field, with their best representative Equibase Speed Figures, is America (107), Flashy American (107), Fortune Pearl (103) and Joint Return (101).
My Selections:
Frivolous
Rosalind
Sheer Drama
$750,000 Delaware Handicap
Saturday, Delaware Park, Race 10 at 5:45 p.m. ET
1 1/4 miles, dirt, fillies and mares 3-years-old and older

PP

Horse

Jockey

Trainer

ML Odds

Owner

1

Frivolous

Jon Court

Victoria Oliver

3-1

G. Watts Humphrey Jr.

2

America

Junior Alvarado

Bill Mott

8-1

Bobby Flay

3

Fortune Pearl

Trevor McCarthy

Graham Motion

10-1

RMJ Stables

4

Flashy American

Edgar Prado

Kenny McPeek

4-1

Preston Stables

5

Sheer Drama

Joe Bravo

David Fawkes

2-1

Harold L. Queen

6

Rosalind

Joel Rosario

Chad Brown

6-1

Bethlehem Stables, Michael Dubb and Highclere America

7

Joint Return

Kendrick Carmouche

John Servis

8-1

Main Line Racing Stable