A plethora of stakes was contested at Dover Downs on Sunday evening, as three-year-olds battled in eliminations for the Matron Stakes and Progress Pace

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Rock N Soul kicked off the 15-race card with a 1:52.2 triumph in her $26,975 Matron Stakes elimination for pacing fillies. Yannick Gingras rolled the daughter of Rocknroll Hanover-Artchitecture through panels of :27.1, :55.4 and 1:24 before stepping home in :28.2 to seal the deal in 1:52.2. Kates Joy (Ron Pierce) was the best of the rest, and Northwest Hanover (Tim Tetrick) was third.

Ron Burke trains the six-time winner for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Frank Baldachino and Howard Taylor. The victory boosted her lifetime earnings to $461,952.

Sand Gesture turned a pocket trip into a 10-1 upset in the second elimination for the pacing fillies, and in doing so it gave trainer Burke and driver Gingras their second stakes score on the card.

Gingras chopped out a quarter in :27.3 with Sand Gesture before releasing the 1-5 favourite, Ticket To Rock (Dave Miller), to the top. Ticket To Rock supplied middle splits of :56.3 and 1:24.3 before being confronted in deep stretch by Sand Gesture. That daughter of Dragon Again-Western Gesture got up in the final strides to prevail over Ticket To Rock in 1:53. Third prize went to Hulas Z Tam.

After going winless in 11 starts as a rookie, Sand Gesture has put together a 4-for-16 record this season for the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Between The Pipes Stable and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. The lion’s share of the purse lifted her lifetime earnings to $221,809.

Glide Power, who was treated to a perfect trip, took the first of two Matron Stakes eliminations for trotting fillies. George Brennan plugged the daughter of Yankee Glide-Armbro Vote in the pocket when the gate sped away, and after stalking tempo setter Costa Rica (Ron Pierce) through fractions of :27.2, :57.1 and 1:25.1 she shot up the rail to collar that front-stepping foe in a time of 1:54.4. Costa Rica wound up finishing in the runner-up spot, with Perfect Chance (Dan Dube) grabbing the show dough.

The Jan Johnson trainee picked up her fifth win of the 2010 campaign while pushing her lifetime earnings to $401,188. The seven-time winner is owned by the Arden Homestead Stable of Delhi, NY and Diamond Creek Farm LLC of Paris, KY.

Fortunes Dream pulled off a 28-1 shocker in the other elimination for the trotting fillies. Tim Tetrick mapped out a two-hole trip behind race favourite Action Broadway with the daughter of Cantab Hall-Fortuna Dream, who rallied in deep stretch for the upset score.

Action Broadway (Dave Miller) laid down intervals of :28.2, :57 and 1:26.2, but she couldn’t fend off Fortunes Dream in the final strides. That pocket-sitting filly rallied into a slowing tempo en route to the 1:56.3 triumph. Action Broadway held on for the second prize, with Christiana Hanover (Riina Rekila) grabbing the show dough.

Anette Lorentzon trains the eight-time winner, who is now 6-for-16 this season, for ACL Stuteri AB of Paris, KY. The filly bumped her bankroll to $180,167 with the win.

This year’s Kentucky Futurity winner, Wishing Stone, brushed to the lead shortly past the quarter pole for George Brennan, and he didn’t look back from that point en route to capturing the $70,738 Matron Stakes elimination for trotting colts and geldings.

Take My Picture (Andy Miller) rolled the field to the quarter pole in :27.1 before Brennan launched an attack with Wising Stone as the field moved in front of the grandstand. The Dewayne Minor pupil whizzed by the next two panels in :56 and 1:25.1 while feeling mild pressure from Break The Bank K (Brian Sears). Wishing Stone drew away from his trotting foes in the late stages of the mile before stopping the teletimer in 1:53.3. Sent off as the 6-5 favourite, Wishing Stone defeated Take My Picture and Hard Livin (Yannick Gingras).

Cowboyland Aalborg of Highland Park, MI owns the son of Conway Hall-Meadowbranch Magic, who won for the fifth time this season. The lion’s share of the purse boosted his overall cash stash to $1,037,442.

The $35,000 Progress Pace elimination for colt and gelding pacers went to Rockin Image, who gave Yannick Gingras his second stakes victory on the card. The hulking son of Rocknroll Hanover-Kikikatie got away third while World Of Rocknroll (George Brennan) sprinted to the quarter pole in :27.2. Delmarvalous (Brian Sears) rushed to the lead in front of the grandstand, and he was quickly overtaken by Rockin Image on the way to the half.

Once in charge of the tempo, Rockin Image clicked off middle fractions of :55 and 1:22.1 before turning on the jets and roaring away to win by a big margin in 1:50. World Of Rocknroll was a distant runner-up, with race favourite Dreamlands Art (Dave Palone) finishing third.

Jimmy Takter trains Rockin Image for Sue Grange’s Lothlorien of Cheltenham, ON. The victory was the fifth of the season for the colt, who now boasts a $714,016 bankroll.