Grade 1 winner Wet Paint leads 8 in Delaware Handicap

Godolphin’s Wet Paint tops a field of eight in the 87th running of the Grade 2, $500,000 Delaware Handicap at Delaware Park this Sunday. The 1 3/16-mile race for fillies and mares has been carded as the ninth race with an approximate post time of 4:30 p.m. EDT.

In her last, Wet Paint ran third beaten 4 1/2 lengths in the 1 1/16-mile Shawnee (G3) at Churchill Downs on June 1. In her only other outing this season, the Kentucky-bred was sixth in the mile and a sixteenth Apple Blossom (G1) Handicap at Oaklawn Park on April 13. Last year, the 4-year-old daughter of Blame posted a record of four wins and two seconds from eight starts with earnings of $1,160,775 including a win in the CCA Oaks (G1) at Saratoga.

Wet Paint also posted victories in the Fantasy (G3) and Honeybee (G3) at Oaklawn Park, a second in the Alabama (G1) at Saratoga and a fourth in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs. She has a career record of 13: 5-3-1 with earnings of $1,254,925. Her trainer Brad Cox will be seeking his second career Delaware Handicap win after he saddled the eventual filly and mare champion Idiomatic to victory last year.

Morning Matcha will be taking another shot at the Delaware Handicap after she finished third last season. In her most recent, the Pennsylvania-bred finished seventh after a troubled trip in the seven-furlong Bed O’Roses (G2) at Belmont at Aqueduct on June 15. In her only other outing this season, the 5-year-old daughter of Central Banker trained by Butch Reid won the seven-furlong, $100,000 Unique Bella at Parx on April 22. Last year, the only time she did not hit the board was on the turf. In her dirt races, she had two wins, two seconds and two thirds including a second in the Obeah. In 2022, she ran third in the Delaware Oaks. Her Delaware Park record is a second and two thirds from three starts.

“I really did not think she had a fair shot in her last race,” said trainer Butch Reid. “She was blocked almost the whole trip, but she came out of the race great and she had a beautiful breeze Saturday morning, so we are ready to go. Last year, she had a really good race over the track in the Obeah Stakes so that gives us confidence and knowing she likes the track is something we got going for us. She is an extremely versatile filly and she can run all day if she needs to do so. We have been having a lot of luck with her going seven-eighths, but the time has come to stretch her back out. She had a nice long layoff this winter, so she is fresh and sharp. She is ready to go.”

Reid has never won the Delaware Handicap, but he has won the Delaware Oaks twice with Foggy Night last year and Project Whiskey in 2020.

“It is a whole local crowd with this horse and they all love Delaware Park and appreciate the history and tradition of these races,” said Reid. “I have been going there ever since I was a kid, probably underage, and I have seen all of the great fillies and mares run in the race. It would be great to get a DelCap as a trainer. I am very proud to have won a pair of Delaware Oaks, but there is nothing like a DelCap and I would certainly be happy to get it.”

Trainer Gary Capuano, who is currently third on the Delaware Park trainer standings, has entered both Intrepid Dream and Malibu Beauty.

Malibu Beauty sports a career record of 34: 9-9-5 with earnings of $603,574. The 6-year-old daughter of Buffum relishes the Delaware Park main track with a record of four wins, three seconds and two thirds from 12 starts. In her first race of the year, the Maryland-bred posted a head victory in a one-mile allowance at Delaware Park on May 24. She followed with a second in a six-furlong allowance at Laurel Park on June 21.

“She is coming into the race super,” said trainer Gary Capuano, who has won over 20 Delaware Park stakes including the 1996 Dover Stakes with Captain Bodgit, but has never won the Delaware Handicap. “In her first race back, after a long layoff, she ran great going long at Delaware. I ran her back in the sprint at Laurel knowing that would be better than workout for her. We have been pretty much pointing her for the Delaware Handicap since the beginning of the season. She loves Delaware Park, she has very good tactical speed, she can hold her speed pretty well and she is gritty. I am rather sure she will be able to handle the distance. She will make anyone who faces her have to run to beat her.”

Intrepid Dream has a career record of 8: 6-0-0 with earnings of $219,035. The 6-year-old daughter of Jess’s Dream has a Delaware Park main track record of three wins from four starts. The Maryland-bred did not have any excuses when she finished seventh in the mile and an eighth $100,000 Allaire duPont at Pimlico on May 17. Previously, she won the one mile $100,000 Heavenly Cause at Laurel Park on April 13.

“Intrepid Dream is another nice mare who is coming into the race really well,” Capuano said. “In her last race at Pimlico, I cannot really give her a whole lot of excuses. She had a chance and she just did not have enough that day, but she has been training incredibly well since.”

Capuano, who has finished in the top five of the Delaware Park standings four of the last five years, is looking forward to having an opportunity to win the Delaware Handicap.

“It would be huge,” said Capuano. “Last year, it was my intention to run both of these fillies in the DelCap, but things just did not fall into place for Malibu Beauty and with Intrepid Dream, she was supposed to come back in the early spring to start training after she got time off, but she got hurt out in the field. This year, they are both doing well and for us having horses in the Delaware Handicap with a chance to win the race is something we are very proud about. Through the years, we have had a great deal of success at Delaware Park, we have been very active in the Delaware Certified program and we have won many stakes, but we have never won the big one. There have been many big names come through Delaware to run in the race and to be a part of that tradition is an honor.”