For the third time in four starts Lofty Widget won the $26,000 Mares Open/Handicap on Tuesday, Feb. 2. at Dover Downs

. Driver George Dennis dominated the early part of the card winning three of the first four races including a 60-1 shot.

Ron Pierce took Lofty Widget into the lead early and the fought off a stiff challenge from Apache Fame, the winner of the previous two distaff Opens. The seven-year-old daughter of Pacific Fella-Lofty Aspirations pulled away to score a 1:51.2 triumph for owners trainer Brit Evans and Foulk Stables. Boots Place finished second for Eric Goodell while Alices Restaurant and Tony Morgan were third. Thus far this meet, Lofty Widget has won four times, with two second and two thirds in eight races.

In the $18,500 Mares pace sub-feature Ross Wolfenden came from last, apparently out of it, to explode past a convoy of six combatants in deep stretch for a 1:53.2 victory. Russ and Elaine MacKinnon own the Camotion-Run With The Angels six-year-old. Sherri On Ice (Eric Goodell) was runner-up in front of Mymymylookatherfly (Corey Callahan).

Distaffs driven by Daryl Bier won the $16,500 and $15,000 Mares paces. Brian Callahan's Remastered, a four-year-old Masterman-Ks Big Bonnet bay, took care of the $16,500 4&5-Year-Old event recording a 1:54.4 decision. Miss Olivia (Corey Callahan) and If Only You Knew (Ross Wolfenden) were second and third respectively.

Next Bier, driving Docdor Cam, retook the lead for good at the quarter and never looked back en route to a 1:53.2 conquest in a $15,000 pace for females. The Camluck-Second Laughing five-year-old won for the second straight time for owner Glenn DelRusso. Itz Cherry Ripe N (George Dennis) came on to finish second with Madges Lil Fortune (Corey Callahan) the show payoff.

"Longshot George" may be a way to describe driver George Dennis. For the fourth time in two weeks, Dennis has driven a high-price payoff winner. This time R Jacki scored in 1:57.2 at 60-1 odds to win a $7,500 Delaware Claiming pace. It was one of three straight winners for George and Tina Dennis Inc. and two owned by ASK W Stable.

The race before, Dennis guided Black Tie to his third win in a row for co-owner Joel Halpern. Black Tie won a $12,500 trot in 1:57.2. Good Feeling (Ross Wolfenden) was second. Vicki Gram (Art Stafford Jr.) closed along the passing lane to be third.

Another good-sized payoff resulted when Allan Davis piloted Andrew Fulton's Holme Town Girl to a 20-1 victory to win a $15,000 Claiming Mares pace in 1:55.1.

With expectations of one to two inches of snow overnight Tuesday with snow ending Wednesday by midday, the eleven Qualifying Races that already have been drawn have been re-scheduled for Thursday morning, Jan. 4 beginning at 10 a.m.

(Dover)