Regaled, the 5-year-old mare who captured the 2025 Delaware Handicap, is scheduled to return to Delaware Park in Stanton on Saturday as one of 11 entrants aiming to become only the eighth horse to claim back-to-back wins in the historic race.
The race is listed as a Grade III event with a purse of $500,000, which will increase to $600,000 if a Grade I or II winner starts. Top finishers will also earn Breeders’ Cup Distaff entry credits — $30,000 for first, $15,000 for second and $7,500 for third — toward the Oct. 31 Distaff at Keeneland, where there is a $30,000 pre-entry and an additional $30,000 required to enter the $2 million race.
Regaled’s form and recent runs
Regaled used last year’s victory at Delaware Park as a springboard to a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. However, she has not recorded a victory since that muddy triumph on the local oval. Her most recent start came in June in the Fleur de Lis Stakes at Churchill Downs, where she finished a solid second — beaten by three-quarters of a length by Immersive, one of the nation’s leading mares.
She has been idle since that effort. Joe Ramos, aboard for last year’s Delaware Handicap win, will again ride Regaled on Saturday.
Principal rivals and storylines
Among those expected to challenge Regaled is Eunomia, the 4-year-old filly who traveled west to capture the Grade I Clement L. Hirsch at Del Mar on Aug. 1. That victory marked Eunomia’s first graded-stakes score in four attempts and arrives after a coast-to-coast campaign that has this year taken her to Florida, Virginia, Kentucky, New York and California.
“She is coming into the second part of her year really well,” trainer Whit Beckman said of Regaled’s chief rival. “It is very much the same as last year. We are very happy with the way she is training. She has had a couple of really sharp works leading up to the race, so we are hopeful we are in the right spot and get the right setup.”
Eunomia will break just outside Regaled and carries a high weight of 124 pounds for the handicap. She will be ridden by Micah Husbands for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and ownership groups that include St. Elias Stable and others.
Other entrants with local and national ties include Margie’s Intention, running for New York trainer Brad Cox. The filly finished second in last year’s Delaware Oaks and has one win in three starts in 2026. Cox also saddles Chasten, winner of the Obeah Stakes in June — the main local prep for the Delaware Handicap — who finished sixth to Eunomia in the Hirsch.
Race day card and additional stakes
Saturday’s 10-race card at Delaware Park includes three other stakes: the $200,000 Battery Park, an ungraded male counterpart to the Delaware Handicap; and two one-mile races for 2-year-olds, the White Clay Creek for fillies and the Rocky R (entry list pending). The Battery Park could draw Hill Road, a 2025 Peter Pan Stakes winner and Belmont runner, unless he appears at Belmont on Thursday.
| Dual Delaware Handicap winners |
|---|
| Elate (2018-2019) |
| Royal Delta (2012-2013) |
| Nastique (1988-1989) |
| Susan's Girl (1973, 1975) |
| Blessing Angelica (1971) |
| Obeah (1969-1970) |
| Endine (1958-1959) |
What to watch
- Regaled’s first start since June and whether she can reproduce last year’s late-running form.
- How Eunomia handles a new track after a coast-to-coast campaign and her career-high victory at Del Mar.
- Breeders’ Cup implications for the top finishers with purse credits available toward the Distaff entry fee.
The Delaware Handicap remains a centerpiece of the fall racing calendar at Delaware Park, drawing both local contenders and national challenge horses. Post time for the 10-race card and wagering pool details are available through Delaware Park and racing media ahead of Saturday’s running in Stanton.
Coverage and results will be followed by local outlets and national racing publications as the field assembles for the 1 1/8-mile test that crowns the winner of this year’s Delaware Handicap.
