DOVER, DE— Corey Callahan rushed Go Collect N into the early lead and then led the rest of a 1:51.2 mile to win the Monday feature at Dover Downs on Feb. 20.
The Go Collect N win was the first of the year for the Gotta Go Collect-No Parking N gelding owned by Robert Cooper and J&T Silva stables who won for the 13th time in his career bringing lifetime earnings to $$124,944. Western Young Gun (Jonathan Roberts) was a game second. Casey At Bat (Allan Davis) was the show finisher.
Sentencing Memo, a 10-time winner last season, also made the winner's circle for the first time in 2017 when Russ Foster piloted the Wester Terror-Lady Annie gelding to a front-end 1:51 victory in an $8,500 Male pace. Arty Foster owns ad trains the four-year-old who made his sixth start of the year. Piece Of The Rock (Davis) pushed the pace on the outside and continued on to finish second. Beaches De Vie (George Dennis) took third.
The longshot of the day was by 50-1 Ascaryone Hanover owned by trainer-driver Eddie Davis who owns the sophomore gelding with Gary Simpson and Eric Good.The 1:54.2 victory was the career first for the Yankee Cruiser-A Filly To Fear in his initial start of the year. Mad Mad World (Callahan) and Stonebridge Rocks (Davis) were second and third.
Drivers Russ Foster, Corey Callahan, Allan Davis, Montrell Teague and trainer Clyde Francis had two wins each.
Stakes winning Delaware-bred Purrfect Bags returns to the races for her first start of the season joining last week’s winner Enhance Your Mind in a field of eight in the $20,000 Mares Open Handicap, the Tuesday, Feb.12 feature race at Dover Downs. Post time is 4:30 p.m.
Owner-trainer Brian Truitt’s Enhance Your Mind, with Vic Kirby driving again has the outside post. She has won four of her six starts this year. Purrfect Bags, already a winner of more than half-a-million dollars, won a wire-to-wire qualifying race for owner JoAnn Looney King. Scott Woogen’s KJ’s Caroline with Yannick Gingras in the bike finished third in last week’s feature.
Sweet Bobbie with Art Stafford Jr. seeks to rebound this time after finished out of the money last start for owner-trainer Gary Ewing. Dublin Rose was a winner last week with Jonathan Roberts piloting for CTC Stable. Leaving from the rail is Killean Finale with Jonathan Roberts driving for trainer Josh Parker and Nanticoke Racing. Springforth, a recent addition to the George&Tina Dennis Racing Stable, has post 2. Bob Bailey’s Duneside Chella reined by Tony Morgan completes the octet of starters.
Dismissal (Montrell Teague) puts a four-race win streak on the line in the$15,000 4&5-Year-Old Mares sub-feature race. Owned by CTC Stable, all of her wins have come in 2017. Trainer Josh Parker and Nanticoke Stable’s Bad Lightning (Stafford Jr.) had a tough trip on the way to victory last start.
by Marv Bachrad, for Dover Downs