Cold Winner, overlooked at 12-1, held off a strong charge from Anders Bluestone to win the $26,000 Open Trot while 14-1 Matrix Hall took the $15,000 sub-feature trot on Wednesday, March 2 at Dover Downs

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Ron Pierce hustled unsung Cold Winner past early leader Starsel (Daryl Bier) into the lead after the half mile and then shook off a determined bid by race-favourite Anders Bluestone (Ross Wolfenden) to score a career equaling 1:54.4 victory in the week’s top trot. Owned by Dawn Gannon, Frank Canzone and Yannick Gingras, Cold Winner, a Credit Winner-Fancy Racket gelding, notched his second win to go with two seconds and two thirds this year. Spunky Vic (Eric Goodell), finished third ended a string of six consecutive second-place finishes.

Ken Wood and Bill Dittmar, who own Anders Bluestone, second in the Open, made the winner’s circle in the $15,000 sub-feature trot along with partner Steve Iaquinta, when Ross Wolfenden steered Matrix Hall to a surprise victory in 1:56.2. It was the third win of the year for the Conway Hall-Melissa Hall gelding. Sea Raven (Vic Kirby) closed strongly to finish second with Little Moon Lake (Ron Pierce) the show horse.

B Striking took no prisoners winning a $13,000 trot. Tony Morgan sped away from the starting gate and never was contested in a 1:55.3 victory for the Striking Sahbra-B Foto six-year-old conditioned by Vic Keller for owner Ben Robards. IPO Blue Chip, the youngest in the nine-horse field was a fast finishing filly second. Batalj Launcher (Ron Pierce) took third.

Drivers Ron Pierce and Jim Morand; trainers Les Givens and Ed Gannon had two wins each.

(Dover Downs)