DEL Handicap – (Grade lll)

Purse $500.00 – For Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward

1 1/8 Miles – Dirt

Delaware Park – September 26, 2026

Mightiness returned to familiar territory and rediscovered her winning form, successfully defending her DEL Handicap title to win the race for the second consecutive year! This victory marked an incredible bounce-back from her twelfth-place finish last time out in the Grade One Personal Ensign and also gave this mare the third graded stakes triumph of her career. With twenty career starts, the daughter of Breath Of The Wild now has lifetime earnings of $1,071.19. A year after setting the stakes record in the DEL Handicap, Mightiness returned to outdo herself. Her winning time of 1:47.93 not only shattered her previous mark but also established a new track record for 1 1/8 miles on the dirt at Delaware Park. Well done! This New York-bred made history for more than herself Saturday, carrying Winning Link Stables to his first victory in this race since its inception in 2006. The achievement followed a transitional season for the six-year-old mare, who changed barns back in May. Congratulations to the connections on this big win!

Winner: Mightiness – (Winning Link Stables, J. McKee) Broke in good order and settled in second behind the pacesetter Wasted Away. The defending champion sat three lengths off the leader, with Gutter Black shadowing her in third. Things remained mostly unchanged down the backstretch, but Mightiness began inching closer while rounding the far turn. She was still about two lengths back after six furlongs in 1:11.50 and continued cutting into Wasted Away’s advantage approaching the top of the stretch. The daughter of Breath Of The Wild found another gear inside the final furlong, drew even near the sixteenth pole and edged ahead late by a half length. What a title defense, plus an impressive rebound from her last start. Definitely a statement win!

Second Place: Wasted Away – (Mb Stables, E. Maldonado) Wasted Away broke sharply and quickly established herself on the front end. The gray mare opened a lead of about two lengths entering the first turn and traveled comfortably while setting fractions of 47.39 for the half-mile & 1:11.50 for three-quarters. She stretched her advantage to three lengths down the backstretch, with Mightiness leading the pursuit in second. Wasted Away still held a 2 1/2-length cushion approaching the quarter pole, but that began to shrink as the field straightened for home. The daughter of Fire N Fury continued to battle all the way to the wire but was narrowly edged out late. Despite the loss, this was a very game effort after doing all the work on the front end.

Third Place: Night Cruise – (Mb Stables, J J. Hernandez) The second entrant for Mb Stables settled at the back of the field after breaking from the rail and was already four lengths off the pace entering the first turn. Night Cruise continued to trail down the backstretch, falling as many as six lengths behind Wasted Away through the opening half-mile. She remained last while rounding the far turn but gradually began to cut into the leaders’ advantage. This California-bred was still about four lengths back at the quarter pole before swinging to the outside and finding her best stride in the stretch. She passed Lab Virus inside the final furlong and then outfinished Gutter Black to secure third place. Night Cruise had simply left herself too much to do late.

Fourth Place: Gutter Black – (Mo Mentum Farm, M. Gutierrez) Gutter Black broke sharply from the outside and settled into third behind Wasted Away. She raced just to the outside of Mightiness entering the first turn, remaining within three lengths of the pace throughout the backstretch. This mare continued to track the top two around the far turn and was still in a good striking position approaching the quarter pole. She began to make up some ground in the stretch, getting within two lengths of the lead inside the final furlong. However, Gutter Black could not match the late acceleration of Mightiness and was overtaken by Night Cruise near the wire, leaving her fourth. This five-year-old received a clean trip and remained competitive throughout but lacked the finishing kick of the top three.

– AJM

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES