Lake Worth, FL – Dan Daley's Purpose Blue Chip made his 2020 harness racing debut after a year's layoff and was super impressive at the qualifiers Wednesday morning at Olympia of Palm Beach Training Center, stopping the teletimer in 1:55.3.
The first race for trotters saw Celebrity Bianca and trainer/driver Sam Stathis go to the early lead with Purpose Blue Chip and trainer/driver Dan Daley also leaving, then taking back to the two-hole spot as they sped by the opening quarter mile in :29.1.
Celebrity Bianca led the group to the half mile marker in :58.4 and soon after that, Daley came to the outside with Purpose Blue Chip and blew up Celebrity Bianca. They sped past the three-quarters in 1:27.3.
Coming down the stretch, Purpose Blue Chip kicked in a :28.1 last quarter mile, beating Celebrity Serena (Fern Paquet, Jr.) by five and one-half lengths. Celebrity Bianca was third.
Owned by Ann-Mari Daley with James Crawford and Donald Brenner, Purpose Blue Chip is a five-year-old stallion by Chapter Seven. At ages two and three he was a stakes competitor in the NY Sire Stakes, winning more than $192,000. He then missed all of his four-year-old season due to injury. He now seems to be in prime shape when racing resumes this year.
His time of 1:55.3 is being checked as the possible fastest trotting mile ever at the track.
The second race trot saw Celebrity Liberty and trainer/driver Sam Stathis go to the early lead with Celebrity Titan (Fern Paquet, Jr.) sitting second as Baby Maker Hanover (Ken Holliday) left a little and then went off-stride.
By the opening quarter Celebrity Liberty held the lead with Celebrity Titan second. Baby Maker Hanover found his stride and started to make up ground by the half mile.
Then in the backstretch, Holliday has Baby Maker Hanover swinging to the outside and was second by the three-quarters in 1:37. Baby Maker Hanover then collared Celebrity Liberty on the final turn and those two sped to the wire in tandem. Celebrity Liberty barely hung on to win by a nose in 2:06, last quarter mile in :29. Celebrity Titan finished third.
Celebrity Farms of Goshen, NY, bred and owns Celebrity Liberty.
The third and final qualifier was a trot/pace mix as Celebrity Miracle was to take on Sweet Deisel, both of whom had been impressive in qualifiers at Olympia of Palm Beach.
It was the pacer, Sweet Deisel and trainer/driver Dan Daley taking early command over Celebrity Miracle and driver Fern Paquet, Jr. as they sped to the first quarter in :29.3.
No positions changed in the two-horse race as Sweet Deisel led past the half mile in :59.4. Then after the half mile, Paquet came to the outside with his trotter, Celebrity Miracle, pushing Sweet Deisel to the three-quarters in 1:29.2.
It was then that Daley asked for and got another gear from Sweet Deisel, who put away Celebrity Miracle in the stretch to win by two and one-half lengths in 1:56.1, the last quarter mile in :26.4.
Sweet Deisel, a four-year-old gelded son of Sweet Lou, is co-owned by Ann-Mari Daley with Crawford Farms Racing.
To watch the live video and race calls, go to www.olympiapalmbeach.com.
By Steve Wolf, for Olympia of Palm Beach