Delaware Park Announces 75-Day 2026 Live Racing Schedule, May 13 Start

Delaware Park will return to live racing May 13, 2026, for a 75-day meet that stretches through Oct. 17 and marks the venue's 89th year of live racing. The Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission approved the calendar, which pairs a summer-heavy stake pattern with incentives aimed at getting horses into town early and bolstering competitive fields and wagering pools.

The weekly schedule varies by month. May and June will feature racing on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, with no racing on Thursday, May 14 and a special Friday card on May 29. July expands to four days per week, Wednesday through Saturday. August through October will shift to Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with no racing on Friday, Sept. 4 and special Wednesday cards on Sept. 9 and Oct. 14.

Delaware Park is offering a May Starter Bonus to encourage early stabling and starts. Trainers and owners who are stabled at Delaware Park by April 30 qualify for $1,200 per starter split $1,000 to the trainer and $200 to the owner, provided dirt races carry eight or more starters and turf races carry 10 or more starters. Those not stabled by April 30 are eligible for $700 per starter - $500 to the trainer and $200 to the owner. If field-size thresholds are not met, a reduced bonus of $500 ($300 trainer / $200 owner) applies. An additional non-seasonal stabling bonus of $300 ($200 trainer / $100 owner) may be available to horsemen who were stabled between Dec. 7, 2025 and March 14, 2026. The release defines stabled as follows: “To be considered 'stabled,' at least 25% of allotted stalls must be filled by April 30 with horses approved by the racing secretary and intended to start.” For full program mechanics, the release directs: “For complete starter bonus details, contact the racing department.”

The meet’s stakes program totals $4.3 million and centers on two card dates to watch. Saturday, June 13 is a blockbuster day that brings back the Delaware Derby at $300,000 and the Grade III Delaware Oaks at $300,000, supported by the Cape Henlopen (listed, $200,000, 1 1/2 miles turf), Alapocas Run ($100,000, 6 furlongs), Obeah ($150,000, 1 1/16 miles) and the RG Dick (G3, $250,000, 1 3/8 miles turf). The inaugural Delaware Derby in 2025 set an all-time single-race track handle record of nearly $6.5 million, a commercial benchmark Delaware Park will look to build on.

Saturday, Sept. 26 highlights the nine-furlong Delaware Handicap (G3) with a $500,000 base purse that is reported to increase to $600,000 if a graded winner from the 2025 or 2026 seasons meets the stated qualifier. Outlets differ on whether that qualifier requires a Grade I winner only or a Grade I or II winner; that language should be confirmed with the racing department. As Thoroughbred Daily News observed, “Once a fixture of the summer months, the nine-furlong contest is now positioned as a potential prep race for older fillies and mares that may be progressing towards the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff just over a month later.”

The stakes list also spreads opportunities across turf routes and short-distance sprints, with summer turf features such as the Cape Henlopen and the RG Dick and a late-season slate of two-year-old sprints in August and September. The Racing Biz stakes table lists 27 named stakes through the closing Endine on Oct. 17, including Dashing Beauty, Peach Blossom, Sussex Handicap, the First State and Small Wonder series and the Battery Park supporting the Del ‘Cap weekend.

Business and racing implications are immediate. The May starter bonuses and special cards are designed to lock in stall commitments, deepen overnight fields and generate carryover betting interest after last year’s Delaware Derby handle spike. For trainers and owners weighing winter shipping and barn commitments, the financial incentives and a dense summer-stakes calendar offer measurable reasons to target Delaware Park. Local economies also stand to benefit from extended summer and early-fall racing traffic.

Next steps for connections and bettors are practical: confirm the exact Delaware Handicap purse-trigger language and any detailed starter-bonus conditions with Delaware Park’s racing department, then watch the May stabling lists to see whether the bonuses accomplish their aim of strengthening fields and wagering through the meet.