Harrington Raceway will host its richest program of the season on Governor’s Day Thursday during the Delaware State Fair. Post time will be 7 p.m.

More than $600,000 in total purses will be on the line during the 13-race program, which will be headlined by four $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund finals for three-year-olds, as well as program staples like the coveted $40,000 Governor’s Cup, which will feature some of the top Delaware horses ages four years old and up. Delaware Governor John Carney will be on hand to present the trophy to the winner.

The first DSBF final (Race 1) is for pacing fillies. An evenly-matched group will line up behind the gate. Trainer Jim King Jr. has three entries in the event for owner Jo Ann Looney-King, including Spanish Dream (9/2, Tim Tetrick), Logans Girl (5/2, Victor Kirby) and Lillisbagsrpacked (20/1, Allan Davis). Thomson Sister Racing Stable’s Free Flight Fran (3/1, Ross Wolfenden) is a chief threat to the stablemates. The race is named in honour of Ben Stafford Jr., a well-liked local horseman who passed away in 2016.

The filly trotting final has been carded as the fifth race on the program and is named in memory of former Harrington Raceway Track President Jack Walls. Nanticoke Racing and Delbert Cain’s Spoonful (9/5, Corey Callahan), Stephen Moss’ Luv Is Blind (3/1, Kirby) and double elimination winner Donald Marine’s Political Energy (7/2, Russell Foster) have been standouts among the group.

The male trotters will compete in their $100,000 final (Race 9), named in memory of driver/trainer Hal Belote, who was tragically killed in a racing accident. Ben Brooks’ Master Clave (7/5, Wolfenden) has dominated the class and will bid for his 11th win in 15 career starts for trainer John Wilkerson.

Perhaps the most competitive DSBF final may be for pacing colts and geldings, as a highly competitive group will fill the eight-horse field. Starters include three horses owned by George Teague Jr. and trained by Clyde Francis. Aint It Fun (9/1, Wolfenden), Henry The Dragon (5/1, Bret Brittingham) and Daiymir (4/1, Montrell Teague) are expected to have strong presence in the field, as is previous DSBF champ Bags To Riches (3/1, Tim Tetrick) for owners Only Money Stable and trainer Jason Skinner. Tina Clark and Brian Clark’s Automatic Dragon (9/2, Kirby) won both of his eliminations impressively and will loom as another contender in the extremely deep field.

The $40,000 Governor’s Cup, which is always a sought-after crown for local bragging rights, features a solid group of veteran pacers that includes last year’s winner, Foulk Stables’ Sparky Mark (20/1, Jon Roberts). The morning line favourite is owner/trainer Josh Green’s Poisonous (8/5, Ross Wolfenden), who took a seasonal mark of 1:49.4 at Dover Downs this past winter.

Three $20,000 DSBF consolations are also on the program to accompany long standing races such as the Charles Murphy Memorial Trot, Legislators Cup (in memory of Thurman Adams Jr.), Presidents Cup and Sam Mathews Memorial. The DSBF consolations are individually named in memory of Del and Dorothy Manges, John Frazer and Walter Messick.

(Harrington Raceway)