Zipse: New memories mix with old at the home of the Del ’Cap

Wilmington, Del.

One of my favorite racetracks to visit as a young fan, I’ve always had great memories of Delaware Park. Getting back to the venerable oval after all these decades is a treat. The occasion is Delaware Handicap weekend, and pardon the sentimentality, but it’s been too long since I’ve been here.

Nearing its completion of nine decades of racing, many of the greats of the game have run at Delaware Park. Kelso, Buckpasser, Damascus all won here, and Afleet Alex and Barbaro did, too.

Regaled wheels back to win Delaware Handicap.

Perhaps my favorite of all time ran here at both 2 and 3. You may be surprised to learn that Spectacular Bid was upset at Delaware Park early in his career. One of the greatest ever to look through a bridle, he would win his next 12 races and exact his revenge at the oval in winning by 17 lengths in his only other visit. 

With my father at the helm, we would jaunt down the Jersey Turnpike once or twice a year to visit the track where great horses ran. Sometimes we would stop for scrapple on the way. Sometimes we would drive straight through. 

Delaware Park was different from the other more metropolitan tracks we frequented. A Saratoga to the south without all the surroundings. It was an oasis. There was just something comforting about being here. 

We came for races like the Leonard Richards, Dupont, Blue Hen and Dover Stakes. They were important races back in the day. The biggest of all, though, was the Delaware Handicap. 

I remember watching Late Bloomer winning a tough battle in 1978. The Greentree mare was a hickory daughter of Stage Door Johnny, and she proved herself that season by winning three straight important races on the turf before winning three more in a row on the dirt. The Delaware Handicap was the first of the three on the dirt, and needless to say, she was awarded a championship at season’s end.

As tough as Late Bloomer was, I’m not sure she had the talent of the mare we saw win it three years later. Relaxing also spent some time running on grass, but when she returned to the main track, she became a beast for Ogden Phipps and Angel Penna Sr. After seeing her win the Del ’Cap, I bet her again in the Jockey Club Gold Cup when she fell a little short to John Henry.

More recently top runners like Royal Delta, Songbird, Elate and Idiomatic have carried on the grand tradition of the Delaware Handicap. Excellent horses one and all, but when not one but two stars came together in 2011, it made for something truly magnificent.

The greatest Delaware Handicap of all pitted Blind Luck and Havre de Grace in their final of six memorable meetings. It was a racing rivalry made in heaven.

Blind Luck was the little filly that could, and Havre de Grace was a beauty who looked like she belonged among racing’s elite. Their differences and their desire brought out the best in each other, and so it was one glorious afternoon at Delaware Park.

I wish I had been able to see that one in person, but like I said, I had not made it back to this great place for far too long.

Taking it all in Saturday ushered me back in time. The differences were there, but the heart and soul of Delaware Park remain. The beautiful trees of the walking ring and the surrounding old buildings are still there. So is the grassy area with picnic tables and room to play. It brought back even older memories. 

The grandstand has not changed either. Old, but well taken care of, this place still has a charm that most tracks fall short of. It is still a great place to watch the races.

Like most racetracks with a casino, the horses and the slots remain separate for the most part, but the new and the old seem to live in harmony here. The sportsbook and simulcast area bridge the two effectively, and there are numerous solid food options. All are welcome additions since I last visited.

The Delaware Handicap card will be my second afternoon of the visit, and I fully expect another enjoyable day. The wonderful memories of a simpler, better time are a big part of my experience, but so is the racing.

Moved to the fall as a possible prep for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, this year’s edition is topped by Dazzling Move, Majestic Oops and Regaled. I will hope for the best for this Grade 3 Delaware Handicap. It deserves it. Now in its 88th year it almost attracted the horse of the year. 

Thorpedo Anna ended up not coming this year, but with a history as rich as this race and this track, who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Thank you for allowing me this sentimental journey back to a time when I first loved racing and to a place that I almost had forgotten. Almost, but now those memories are fresh, and my great experiences here do not seem that long ago at all. 

I cherished coming to Delaware Park as a kid. After all these years it turns out I still do. If you never have been, I think you will enjoy the trip.