Elate back to 10 furlongs in Delaware Handicap defense
Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider’s Elate, the race's defending winner, tops the 82nd renewal of Saturday's Grade 2, $750,000 Delaware Handicap at Delaware Park. The mile-and-a-quarter summer staple for fillies and mares has attracted a field of nine.
The 5-year-old daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, Elate has a record of a win, a second and a third from three starts in 2019. In her most recent race, the Kentucky-bred trained by Bill Mott notched a 1 ½-length triumph in Churchill Downs' June 15 Fleur de Lis (G2). Last year, she made only two starts, winning the Delaware Handicap with ease before second in a tight battle with Abel Tasman in Saratoga's Personal Ensign (G1).
Elate sports a career record of six wins, five seconds and two thirds from 15 starts with earnings of $1,698,775.
“She is doing very well,” Mott said. “She won the Fleur de Lis and ran a great race. She finished well, made the lead inside the eighth pole and was drawing away at the end. It was a very useful race and it seemed like the nine furlongs seemed to suit her much better than the previous two-times at a mile and a sixteenth.
"We are certainly looking forward to running her back in the Delaware Handicap at 10 furlongs.”
Mott also won the Delaware Handicap with Royal Delta in 2012 and 2013. A victory by Elate would be his fourth, equaling the record for most by trainer held by Henry Clark and Todd Pletcher.
“I think anytime you can run in a race like this and keep winning them, it is a good thing,” Mott said. “We just try to stay competitive every time we come to Delaware, and it is nice to be keeping such good company.”
Pletcher will look to set a new mark if Madaket Stables, Elayne Stables and Brian Martin’s Another Broad can pull off an upset victory Saturday.
In her most recent, the 4-year-old daughter of Include finished third in Delaware Park's Obeah Stakes, also on June 15. Previously, the Maryland-bred finished fourth in the Allaire duPont Distaff (G3) at Pimlico on May 17. Her last win came on April 13, when she posted a 1 ¼-length score in the Top Flight Invitational at Aqueduct going a mile and an eighth.
Second choice to Elate on the morning line is Merriebelle Stable’s Blue Prize. The Argentina-bred conditioned by Ignacio Correas IV has a career record of seven wins, eight seconds and two thirds from 19 starts with earnings of $1,162,253. In her most recent, the daughter of Pure Prize finished second to Elate in the Fleur de Lis. On May 3, she ran third in the La Troienne (G1) at Churchill Downs to open her season.
“She is doing very well,” said trainer Ignacio Correas IV. “We have been planning on running her in the Delaware Handicap since the beginning of the year. She is tough. She does not mind traveling, she loves to race, she is very adaptable, and I think she is going to love the mile and a quarter.”
The third choice in the morning-line odds is Don Schnell, Barry Arnason and True North’s Escape Clause. The 5-year-old daughter of Going Commando has a career record of 20 wins, four seconds and three thirds from 32 starts with earnings of $691,500.
Escape Clause broke her maiden at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg in 2016. After dominating her competition for almost two years in the northwest, the Manitoba-bred trained by Don Schnell was shipped west, where she compiled a record of two wins, a second and a third from six starts while racing at Del Mar, Santa Anita and Sunland Park. On April 14, Escape Clause proved her mettle by finishing second beaten a nose to Midnight Bisou in the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) at Oaklawn Park.
In her last, Escape Clause finished fourth in the Ogden Phipps (G1) won by division leader Midnight Bisou at Belmont Park on June 8. Since that race, she has called Delaware Park home.
“"She is so much better now though after being at Delaware for more than a month, and I think she is going to run much better this Saturday," said owner and trainer Don Schnell. "We have shipped to more than10 different racetracks, and while she has run well at all of them, I hope being here for a month in advance will finally give us a little bit of a home field advantage. It seems like she loves the track. She has had two works at Delaware Park and she worked very well both times.”
Six horses are two-time winners of the Delaware Handicap. They are Royal Delta (2012-2013), Nastique (1988-1989), Susan’s Girl (1973-1975), Blessing Angelica (1971-1972), Obeah (1969-1970) and Endine (1958-1959).