DOVER, Del. — Sweet Bobbie stepped up to the $25,000 Mares Open and repeated last week's 7-1 victory while Seboomook Copper and Lotsa Luck won the harness racing DSBF colt and filly pace consolations on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at Dover Downs.
Overlooked after last Wednesday's seven-length 1:52.1 win, the five-year-old Art Major-Odds On Gobye mare owned by trainer Gary Ewing came on strong in the lane for Art Stafford Jr. to notch a 1:51.1 triumph in the week's top female event. The win was the third of four for hot-driver Stafford putting him in a tie for second-place in the driver standings with Corey Callahan at 27.Tim Tetrick leads with 36.
Keystone Riptime, a 40-1 longshot piloted by Ross Wolfenden, stormed home to finish second for a $306.80 exacta while Purrfect Bags and Montrell Teague, third, commanded a $3,389.40 trifecta.
Garnet O'Marrow's homebred Seboomook Copper, an altered son of Gamblers Dream-Seboomook Mao, held off favorite Fulla Nitro (Jonathan Roberts) for a 1:56.2 victory in the first $20,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) consolation. Trend Spin (Russell Foster) was third.
Art Stafford's first win of a big day came directing Lotsa Luck to a 1:57 win in the second $20,000 DSBF consolation, this one in the freshman filly pace. Kissthatonegoodbye (Callahan) was runner-up with Diabolical Spin (Foster) the show horse.
In addition to Art Stafford Jr.'s four bagger, owner-trainer Josh Parker had a double.
Thursday is the biggest day in 2017 Delaware harness racing. Both millionaires, Downbytheseaside and Fear The Dragon, the two highest-rated pacers in this year's Hambletonian Society-Breeders Crown weekly poll meet among eight starters in Dover Downs' signature event, the $308,060 Hap Hansen Progress Pace. On the same outstanding program of 13-races are four $100,000 DSBF finals and a $25,000 Open pace heads the undercard.
Monday through Thursday. post time is 4:30 p.m. The daily program features a 50-cent Pick 5 (races 2-6) and a late daily double ( races 12 and 13).
General parking and admission are free. Reservations are suggested for the Winner's Circle Restaurant's acclaimed Buffet and for the 4-star Dover Downs Hotel. Call 302-674-4600.Top harness and thoroughbred races are featured in the Racing and Sports Book daily for 12 Noon until 12 Midnight.
MILLIONAIRES. DOWNBYTHESEASIDE, FEAR THE DRAGON. TOP $308,060 HAP HANSEN PROGRESS PACE
The $308,060 Hap Hansen Progress Pace and four $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund Finals headline the biggest day in Delaware harness racing on Thursday, Nov. 30 at Dover Downs.
This season’s two richest three-year-old pacers – Downbytheseaside and Fear The Dragon – lead a fast, hard-hitting field of eight in the 21st Hap Hansen Progress Pace, the signature event of Dover Downs racing.
Downbytheseaside registered his 13th win of the year, his third in-a-row including identical 1:50.1 triumphs winning the HHPP elimination after annexing the $245,000 Matron Stake at Dover. Chris Page, a former Dover Downs regular, drives the bay colt for Joe Sbrocco, Rich Lombardo, Country Club Acres and Diamond Creek Racing. Conditioned by Brian Brown, the leading candidate for 2017 Trainer of the Year, who also has another trainee entered, the brilliant Fear The Dragon, with Hall of Fame driver David Miller at the controls.
For most of the summer, Fear The Dragon led the top 10 Hambletonian Society-Breeders Crown poll of the year’s top horses until injury interrupted his schedule after the Breeders Crown Final in which he was race favorite. Trainer Brown was so impressed by a recent training trip that owner Emerald Highlands Farm put up a $25,000 supplemental fee to enter the HHPP.
In last week’s elim, Bay Pond Racing’s Geez Joe (Andy Miller0 finished third with Diamond Creek Racing’s Blood Line (Mark MacDonald) fourth and Tony Ruggeri’s Western Joe (Yannick Gingas) fifth. The other contenders are Music Is Art (Corey Callahan) for Peter Blood and Rick Berks; Normandy Beach (Tim Tetrick) owned by McGill, Carsey, Friedland and Triple D Stables; and Jeff Snyder’s Mac’s Jackpot (Brett Miller).
All four DSBF freshman championships are on the line as well Thursday. In $100.000 colt divisions, Super Fly (Art Stafford Jr.) is the one to beat in the Trot while Jo Ann Looney King’s Evolution Tour (Tetrick) and George Leager’s Slick Tony (Russel Foster) drew posts 1 and 2 respectively in the Colt Pace.
In the Filly Trot, Vandalous (Corey Callahan) racing for Chambers, Fuquay-Varina, Cinbrew and BCJM and Serendipity Stable’s Star Sapphire (Foster) put unbeaten prelim records on-the-line. The $100,000 Filly Pace showcases Darrell and Leah Lewis’ Pedal Power, Brent Outten and Green Racing’s Go Sandy Go (Jason Green) and Jeff and David Clark’s Gracefullyforgiven (Stafford Jr.)
In addition, on the undercard is a $25,000 Open, an $18,000, a $16,000, plus two $13,000 paces.
Dover Downs now also features a 50-cent Pick 5 wager starting with the 2nd race through the 6th. A late daily double is carded for the 12th and 13th races.
Dover Downs races four days a week, Monday through Thursday with post time at 4:30 p.m. Fine food is available while watching the races at the acclaimed Winner's Circle Restaurant Buffet. Call 302-674-4600 for reservations.
Simulcasting of harness and thoroughbred races each day from 12 Noon until 12 Midnight in the Race and Sports Book.
Marv Bachrad