The Grade 3 Delaware Handicap will be moved to September from its traditional spot in July under the 2025 schedule approved by the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission.

Delaware Park’s live racing season will open May 14 and feature 75 days through closing day on Saturday, Oct. 11.

Live racing will be conducted on a Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday weekly format for most of the 2025 meet. Ten cards will be presented on the following Fridays: May 30, June 6, June 13, July 4, July 11, July 18, July 25, Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15. Live racing is not scheduled on Thursday, May 15, Wednesday, Sept. 17 and Wednesday, Sept. 24. Daily first race post time is set for 12:45 p.m. EDT.

Additionally, a pair of special Sunday cards will be presented in September as part of weekends featuring multiple stakes.

On Sept. 14, the Delaware Certified Thoroughbred Program will be showcased with four six-furlong, $100,000 races restricted to Delaware-bred or -certified horses with the First State Stakes for 2-year-olds, the Small Wonder Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, the Tax-Free Distaff for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up and the New Castle for 3-year-olds and up. 

The Delaware Handicap, which traditionally was run in early July and was recently downgraded from a Grade 2 to a Grade 3 by the American Graded Stakes Committee, will be run on Sept. 28. The filly-and-mare classic will be run at 1 1/8 miles for only the second time in race history and have a purse of $400,000.

The supporting features of the Delaware Handicap card will be the 1 1/8-mile Battery Park for 3-year-olds and up and the six-furlong Wilmington for 3-year-olds and up.

On Saturday, Sept. 27, the featured races are the 1 1/8-mile Kent Stakes on the turf for 3-year-olds, the 1 1/8-mile Christiana Stakes on the turf for 3-year-old fillies and the six-furlong Endine Stakes for fillies and mares.

For the first time in the history of the track, the Delaware Derby will be run. The 1 1/16-mile test with a purse of $200,000 will be run on the same card as the 1 1/16 $300,000 Delaware Oaks (G3) on Saturday, June 14. The supporting features on the Delaware Derby-Oaks card are the 1 1/16-mile Obeah Stakes for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and upward and the six-furlong Alapocas Run for 3-year-olds and upward.

Eighteen stakes worth a total of $2.925 million are scheduled, including the 1 3/8-mile Robert G. Dick Memorial (G3) on the turf for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up to be run on Saturday, July 5.