Dazzling Move Tries to Resume Rise in Delaware Handicap

Last seen fifth in the Personal Ensign Stakes (G1), Dazzling Move will try to reestablish her ascension in the $400,000 Delaware Handicap (G3) Sept. 28 at Delaware Park.

This time, traveling 1 1/8 miles, unlike in the Personal Ensign, she won’t encounter the reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna .

That fifth-place finish was less a reflection of the filly’s skill and more a testament to the company she ran against and some misfortune as she was bumped at the start and then checked between two rivals, halting her progress and effectively ending her chances.

“She’s done well since the last race. … We feel like this is a good spot to hopefully have a chance to win it,” said trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

This year has been a big step forward for Dazzling Move, who not only moved into graded company for the first time but also earned her first win in such a race. With a new owner (Miller Racing) this year and a new trainer, there has been a concerted effort to challenge the daughter of leading sire Not This Time .

She began 2025 with a win in the Royal Delta Stakes (G3), and Joseph took a shot at the Madison Stakes (G1) that came up well short. After regrouping and finishing second in the Allaire DuPont Distaff Stakes, she acquitted herself very well in the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1).

In that June 6 contest at Saratoga Race Course, Dazzling Move tangled with several of her eventual Personal Ensign rivals—Dorth Vader , Raging Sea , Randomized , and Leslie’s Rose —and finished second.

That was followed by a second in the Shuvee Stakes (G2) also at the Spa.

“We bought (her) at the beginning of the year,” Joseph said. “Thankfully, we got rewarded quickly. Off the bat, we were able to win a grade 3 with her. She’s by Not This Time, probably one of, if not the hottest sire right now.

“We stretched her out. We cut her back in distance for the Madison. Kind of didn’t go to plan. She’s excelled at two turns. She had never run two turns before we got her on the dirt, and that was something that we wanted to try, and it seemed to work out. She’s got grade 1-placed, and she’s obviously won a grade 3.”

Joseph will try for his second Delaware Handicap after winning last year Honor D Lady .

But there are some notable differences between last year’s race and Sunday’s contest. The race had been held in July but moved to September. Instead of being a test for fillies and mares eyeing grade 1s in the fall, it has become part of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen Bonus Series. Additionally, the race has been downgraded from a grade 2 to a grade 3 and the distance reduced from 1 3/16 miles to 1 1/8 miles.

Joseph said that should Dazzling Move win Sunday it is not a given that she would head to the Breeders’ Cup.

“I wouldn’t say it’s the plan at the moment, but … if we were to win this, it is one of those Dirt Dozen races, so it definitely would make the Breeders’ Cup come into consideration,” he said.

California-bred Majestic Oops has hit the board in seven of her nine starts this year, most recently third in the Ballerina Stakes (G1). She spent most of 2024 running at Century Mile Racetrack and Casino | BloodHorse.com Track Profile”>Century Mile Racetrack and Casino, but she is getting a new start this year with trainer Dan Ward.

“She was running really good in western Canada, but the thing is she never won a race worth more than $24,000 to the winner, so when we got her at Oaklawn, she qualified for many allowance conditions there,” Ward said. “She ran some good races, but when she won the allowance in early April, she got some confidence and just kept getting better and better. Once she became comfortable with sitting off the pace and being relaxed, it made a big difference. When she stepped into stakes competition, those were legit races because she gave some really nice fillies and mares weight and still ran well, so she showed she is not a fluke.”

Majestic Oops, Margie’s Intention , and Gun Song are also entered in the $250,000 Beldame Stakes (G2), which has a field of five, Sept. 26 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

As part of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen Bonus Series, the Delaware Handicap winner will receive a $30,000 credit toward the entry fee for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1). The second- and third-place finishers will get $15,000 and $7,500, respectively. Meanwhile, all Breeders’ Cup starters based outside of California will receive a $10,000 travel award. The Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be held at Del Mar Oct. 31-Nov. 1.