Anders Bluestone won his fourth straight Dover Downs start this year in the feature $27,500 Open Handicap Trot while Windshield and Im So Striking scored impressive victories in first two $20,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) preliminaries for trotting colts and geldings on Wednesday

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Ross Wolfenden moved Anders Bluestone out of fifth heading to the clubhouse turn and followed the cover of Dont Know Chip (Vince Copeland) after the half before moving three-wide on the final turn. In the stretch, the Yankee Glide-Annette Hanover six-year-old chased after the Yannick Gingras-driven Looking Hanover and finally got up at the wire in 1:54.1. Looking Hanover was in the photograph finishing second with the fast-closing Lolique, in his first start of the year, third for John Wagner. Eric Ell trains Anders Bluestone for Ken Wood and Bill Dittmar. Much of Wood’s portion of the purse goes to his benevolent “Wells For Ghana” project. The winner has won $686,400 in his career and $67,900 of it in 2012.

There were two winners in the $19,500 Winners Over Trot when the photo finish camera could not separate race favourite Keystone Thomas, off at 2-1, and 31-1 Sea Raven. In the race, Arriba Amigo (Brad Hanners) set all the fractions until deep in the homestretch when Keystone Thomas, a Revenue S-Yankee gelding recently acquired by driver Daryl Bier, Glenn DelRusso and JoAnn Dombeck, came on the outside and Sea Raven with Tony Morgan driving for Steve Anderson, who was celebrating his 60th birthday, hustled down the passing lane to reach the finish line simultaneously in 1:55.2. Arriba Arriba was third, only a short nose away from a triple dead-heat.

Uwantapieceofme got for driver George Dennis to win the $16,000 trot. Dennis and wife Tina, along with ASK W Stable, own the SJs Photo-Better Together gelding who scored his second success of the year. Par Done My Putt (Brad Hanners), a 21-1 shot, finished second. Willie Count (Frank Milby) took third.

There were no surprises in two $20,000 DSBF colt trot prelims. Les Givens conditioned Windshield, already a winner of the last two $100,000 finals, easily won his seasonal debut in 1:59.2. The Political Briefing-CR Mimosa colt, now nine-for-11 in his career, extended his earnings to $155,299 for owners driver Ross Wolfenden and Nanticoke Racing. Take Over Payments (Tony Morgan) was next with Left Alone Ranger (Corey Callahan) third.

In the second $20,000 DSBF prelim, Im So Striking used his usual come-from-behind tactics to score a 1:57.4 victory for trainer-driver Eddie Dennis and owners E&K Stable, Lois and Earl Walters. The win was the second in three starts this year for the So Striking-Ringside Katie homebred and his fourth win in six lifetime races. Bold Strike (Art Stafford Jr.) was a solid second with Klondike Mike (Justin Vincent) third.

The final first leg events are set for Thursday featuring two $20,000 DSBF Three-Year-Old Filly Trots. A $16,000 trot tops the regular program.

(Dover Downs)