Dover Downs Hosts Solid Monday Card
Two days after harness racing a were treated to a bevy of stellar performances in a quartet of lucrative TVG finals at the Meadowlands, standardbred fans will get another taste of quality action at Dover Downs on Monday evening.
Mondays third race is a $20/25,000 claiming handicap for older Pacers and it should be one of the days most competitive affairs. Cinderella Guy (Corey Callahan) has the rail for trainer Dylan Davis and arrives off a second-place finish as the choice last week. My Temudjin (Andrew McCarthy) was fourth at this level after a first over try last week for trainer Ron Burke, while Star Messenger (Victor Kirby) drops back in for a tag after finishing a solid third in the Winners Over class last week.
Two races later the younger pacers will take center stage in a non-winners of five races or $60,001 lifetime class. Cloud Speed (Bret Brittingham) looms the favorite from the rail for trainer Ben Stafford, but Sporty Mercedes (Ross Wolfenden), View Land (Russell Foster), Cool Reward (Tony Morgan), Fight The Truth (Montrell Teague) and Thespywholovedme (Tim Tetrick) all merit respect in this spot.
Two races later on the card Dover will offer an $18,000 Open Handicap for 5-year-olds and under and this race will offer plenty of value to those who can find the winner.
Limelight Beach (Morgan) won this event by a neck in 1:51 as the even-money choice for Burke, but gets assigned the eight hole. Wakizashi Hanover (Tetrick) finished second in his first start back since trying the best older pacers in the land in the $325,000 Dan Patch at Hoosier Park in August. Sicily (Allan Davis) won last week at 22-1, Soto (Art Stafford, Jr.) won this class two starts back for trainer Eric Ell, while Arque Hanover (Callahan), Major Uptrend (Andrew McCarthy) and Ideal Cowboy (Kirby) all rate mild upset chances.
Mondays third race is a $20/25,000 claiming handicap for older Pacers and it should be one of the days most competitive affairs. Cinderella Guy (Corey Callahan) has the rail for trainer Dylan Davis and arrives off a second-place finish as the choice last week. My Temudjin (Andrew McCarthy) was fourth at this level after a first over try last week for trainer Ron Burke, while Star Messenger (Victor Kirby) drops back in for a tag after finishing a solid third in the Winners Over class last week.
Two races later the younger pacers will take center stage in a non-winners of five races or $60,001 lifetime class. Cloud Speed (Bret Brittingham) looms the favorite from the rail for trainer Ben Stafford, but Sporty Mercedes (Ross Wolfenden), View Land (Russell Foster), Cool Reward (Tony Morgan), Fight The Truth (Montrell Teague) and Thespywholovedme (Tim Tetrick) all merit respect in this spot.
Two races later on the card Dover will offer an $18,000 Open Handicap for 5-year-olds and under and this race will offer plenty of value to those who can find the winner.
Limelight Beach (Morgan) won this event by a neck in 1:51 as the even-money choice for Burke, but gets assigned the eight hole. Wakizashi Hanover (Tetrick) finished second in his first start back since trying the best older pacers in the land in the $325,000 Dan Patch at Hoosier Park in August. Sicily (Allan Davis) won last week at 22-1, Soto (Art Stafford, Jr.) won this class two starts back for trainer Eric Ell, while Arque Hanover (Callahan), Major Uptrend (Andrew McCarthy) and Ideal Cowboy (Kirby) all rate mild upset chances.
One race later Dover will offer the $27,500 Delaware Special for top level Delaware-owned pacers. Little Ben (Kirby) drops out of the main Open to face this group for trainer Jim King, Jr., while Remember Me VK (Teague) draws the rail. Captive Audience (McCarthy), Golden Gun (Pat Berry), Mustang Art (Sean Bier) and Getitoffyourchest (Wolfenden) loom serious threats in the inaugural edition of this event at the current meet.
Then two races later in the $30,000 Open/Preferred Handicap for older pacers, much of the focus will be on the two talented horses assigned the two outside slots.
Mel Mara (Callahan) sports a solid 7-4-5 slate and $235,000 bankroll from 24 starts this year for trainer Dylan Davis, including a 1:49.1 score in this event two weeks ago and a prior 1:47 triumph at the Meadowlands in which he upended Always B Miki, the future book favorite for 2016 harness horse of the year.
Just to his inside is Foiled Again (Morgan), the sports all-time richest pacer with earnings of $7.46 million on the strength of 91 wins from 270 lifetime starts. A 12-year-old Dragon Again gelding trained by Burke, Foiled Again may have lost a step at his ripe age but he has won three of his last four starts and merits respect in this spot.
But looking to split the exacta in this affair are talented pacers such as Just A Jolt (Kirby), Dancing Yankee (Tetrick) and Te Kawau N (Berry) and Handsome Henry K (McCarthy) who had won the Open at Rosecroft twice before returning to Delaware.
Speaking of Rosecroft, Mel Mara and Foiled Again are expected to head across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge for the $100,000 Free State Free-For-All at the Maryland five-eighths mile oval. Invitations get extended to various trainers early this week.
Then two races later in the $30,000 Open/Preferred Handicap for older pacers, much of the focus will be on the two talented horses assigned the two outside slots.
Mel Mara (Callahan) sports a solid 7-4-5 slate and $235,000 bankroll from 24 starts this year for trainer Dylan Davis, including a 1:49.1 score in this event two weeks ago and a prior 1:47 triumph at the Meadowlands in which he upended Always B Miki, the future book favorite for 2016 harness horse of the year.
Just to his inside is Foiled Again (Morgan), the sports all-time richest pacer with earnings of $7.46 million on the strength of 91 wins from 270 lifetime starts. A 12-year-old Dragon Again gelding trained by Burke, Foiled Again may have lost a step at his ripe age but he has won three of his last four starts and merits respect in this spot.
But looking to split the exacta in this affair are talented pacers such as Just A Jolt (Kirby), Dancing Yankee (Tetrick) and Te Kawau N (Berry) and Handsome Henry K (McCarthy) who had won the Open at Rosecroft twice before returning to Delaware.
Speaking of Rosecroft, Mel Mara and Foiled Again are expected to head across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge for the $100,000 Free State Free-For-All at the Maryland five-eighths mile oval. Invitations get extended to various trainers early this week.
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