Sheer Drama Gets Better of Frivolous in Delaware Handicap

Sheer Drama winning the Delaware Handicap. (Photo by Hoofprints, Inc.)
After finishing second to Frivolous in the Fleur de Lis Handicap a little over a month ago, Sheer Drama got her revenge in the $750,000 Delaware Handicap on Saturday when outdueling that foe at Delaware Park.
Frivolous set the pace in the 1 ¼ mile race and it didn’t seem like anyone was keen to follow her, letting her gallop on an uncontested lead about a length in front of Sheer Drama. As the field neared the far turn, jockey Joe Bravo let Sheer Drama cut into Frivolous’s lead and by the middle of the turn, the horses were even.
The duel that took place at that point looked like it would be similar to the battle in the 2011 Delaware Handicap between Blind Luck and Havre de Grace but the fight to the wire wasn’t to be. While Frivolous put in a heck of a battle to stay with Sheer Drama, at about the 1/8 pole she gave in and Sheer Drama inched ahead.
At the wire, Sheer Drama was two length ahead of Frivolous and she stopped the clock in a time of 2:01.20. America, owned by Bobby Flay, finished third with Flashy American fourth.
“It is a Grade I and a really big deal,” said David Fawkes, Sheer Drama's trainer. “It played out a lot like the Fleur de Lis, just like the announcer described today, but I knew that would really help us. She came into this race great and I loved her sitting second. Joe and I had talked about it the race before and I did not think she was going to make the lead. It could not have worked out better. Everything played out perfect.  Nobody was closing and I knew our filly had the other one at the head of the lane.  But I got to give Frivolous credit, because she battled all the way to the wire and made us run.”
This was the second graded stakes, and first Grade 1, win for Sheer Drama this year. After spending all of 2014 at the ungraded stakes level Sheer Drama was moved up in the Rampart Stakes at Gulfstream during their winter meeting, finishing second in that race. She followed that up with a win in the Grade 2 Royal Delta Stakes before putting in two straight second place finishes at Churchill Downs.
If Sheer Drama heads to the Breeders’ Cup later this year, she will be running at the chance to give her dam two Breeders’ Cup winners as her half-brother is Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Big Drama.
Sheer Drama’s odds of 2.50-to-1 returned $7.00 on a $2 win bet. For a full chart of the race, click here.