After getting picked off in their latest encounter, Captain Albano ($4.60) gained a small measure of revenge against Mirage Hanover in the $257,639 Hap Hansen Memorial Matron Stakes for three-year-old male pacers — one of four Matron Stakes events contested for sophomores on Thursday, Nov. 7 at Bally's Dover.

Trotting filly Allegiant, trotting colt Sir Pinocchio and pacing filly Direction were the other Matron winners.

Factors in the recently-contested Breeders Crown — where Mirage Hanover prevailed in 1:48 — 6-5 Captain Albano and 1-2 Mirage Hanover garnered the majority of support in Thursday's main event at Bally's Dover. Todd McCarthy landed Captain Albano in front of Mirage Hanover and Dexter Dunn early, hitting the opening quarter in :27. Dunn right-lined Mirage Hanover down the homestretch for the first time, landing on the lead before the :53.4 half.

Mirage Hanover maintained a comfortable advantage down the backstretch, tripping the third timer in 1:21.2 with only Captain Albano in the pocket as a serious threat. McCarthy started his move from the two hole around the bend as both drivers called on reserves from their respective charges. Captain Albano delivered his finishing move on Mirage Hanover in the stretch, muscling past his rival by three parts of a length for the 1:48.4 score. Huntingforchrome (Matt Kakaley) was best of the rest in third.

"I was content to cut it. When 'Mirage' moved back to the front, I figured the only way I could kind of beat him is if I stretched him out and made him do a little bit," admitted McCarthy. "That horse has finished the year so strong. It just kind of panned out for us. We had the trip, we got fresh air at the top of the stretch and full credit to Noel and the job he's done with this horse all year. He's just been an absolute pleasure and a lot of fun to drive."

Noel Daley trains Captain Albano (Captaintreacherous-Angelou) for Patricia Stable of Massapequa, N.Y., L A Express Stable LLC of Lincoln University, Pa., Sjoblom Racing Inc. of Delray Beach and Michael Dolan of Sarasota, Fl. With the win, Captain Albano boasts a 17-3-3 summary from 24 career starts with $1,771,225 in earnings.

"It's just nice to see him get the trip tonight. You know, he's sort of got cooked there in the Breeders Crown final. Basically, any time he's been beaten, there's been an excuse for him," stated Daley. "A very honest horse, very good horse."

Recently announced as part of the Blue Chip Farms stallion roster for 2025, Captain Albano is slated to compete in the Progress Pace later this month at Bally's Dover before retiring to the breeding shed.

Allegiant ($3.20) continued her fine form with a confident score in the $202,847 Matron Stakes final for three-year-old trotting fillies, trotting back to her 1:51.1 lifetime mark.

Scott Zeron pointed the 6-5 favourite to the lead from post five and cleared before yielding to R Melina (Todd McCarthy) after a :28.1 opening quarter. Zeron got the pocket ride behind R Melina in the Breeders Crown last time out, but opted for pacesetting tactics on this occasion and looped back to the lead before the :55.4 half.

Allegiant front-stepped her way through a 1:24.1 third station and then confidently powered away from her rivals under a hand drive to best R Melina by some three lengths. She Shaq (Ake Svanstedt) rounded out the top trio.

"I was just going to see how she felt getting off the gate," said Zeron regarding his tactics. "I thought Yannick [Gingras, driving Sister Mary Maude] would make a bigger push from the outside there, and I just I thought it might be the last race of her life, and I wanted to make sure I gave her every opportunity to win."

Allegiant has been entered in the inaugural North American Standardbred Mixed Sale on Dec. 17 at the Mt. Hope Event Center in Ohio. Whether or not she races between now and the sale remains to be seen.

"She has been invited to the [TVG/FanDuel] Mares final," noted trainer Linda Toscano. "We'll have to make a decision based upon how she comes out. It may be her last race or maybe we will see her again."

A daughter of Tactical Landing-Too Good For You, Allegiant is owned by Ryan Smith of Dennison, Oh. The filly picked up her sixth win this year and 11th career, while lifting her earnings to more than $1.3 million.

Sir Pinocchio ($5.40) found the wire just in time to prevail in the $212,222 Matron Stakes final for three-year-old male trotters.

After a three-wide skirmish into the first turn that resulted in a :26.4 opening quarter with Hankins Hanover (David Miller) eventually emerging on top, favoured Highland Kismet pushed on for driver Tim Tetrick and cleared in front of the grandstand. After fronting the field through middle panels of :55 and 1:23, Highland Kismet self-destructed around the far turn, allowing pocket-sitter Sir Pinocchio and driver Jason Bartlett to inherit the lead. With no challengers close, it appeared as though Sir Pinocchio was home free but Private Access (Louis-Philippe Roy) closed with a flourish to make it interesting. No lying was needed as the nose of Sir Pinocchio hit the wire first, roughly a neck better than Private Access, with the mile timed in 1:52.4. Elhelpski (Peter Wrenn) edged Seven Reps (Yannick Gingras) for show.

"He shows a lot of early speed, shows a lot of front end. Actually, he's better off a helmet. So, you know, we were always forced in New York to push forward, and he's always been the favourite, so that's where he's ended up most of the time. All around he's just a great horse and Eddie, throughout the year, has done a amazing job with this horse. And there's nobody in this business that deserves this more than that guy."

That guy is trainer Eddie Hart, who confirmed that Sir Pinocchio would be shut down and turned out after this start in preparation for a return to the races as a four-year-old.

A homebred owned by Carolyn Atherton of Scarsdale, N.Y., Sir Pinocchio (Mets Hall-Lady Cromwell) now sports a 11-4-0 summary from 17 seasonal starts. The win, his 13th lifetime, bumped his bankroll to $925,134 lifetime.

Todd McCarthy made an early decision with Direction ($12) in the $161,806 Matron Stakes final for three-year-old pacing fillies, and that choice proved to be the winning move. 

As Tarrific (Bartlett) cleared Direction to obtain the early lead, McCarthy started to vacate the pocket before favoured My Girl EJ (Dexter Dunn) started to grind away to test the pacesetter. After a :26.4 opener, Direction cleared Tarrific and then allowed My Girl EJ to make the front and set the fractions. Landing on top just before the :54.2 half, My Girl EJ faced pressure down the backside from Rocket Deo (Andy McCarthy) and those two matched strides through a 1:22.3 third station and around the far turn. In deep stretch, Rocket Deo got the best of My Girl EJ but Direction angled to the inside of the front pair and powered past with a passing lane late lunge for the 1:50.2 decision. Rocket Deo and My Girl Ej completed the triactor in that order.

"We had to do a little bit to sort of, you know, get the spot that I wanted," noted McCarthy after the victory. "My Girl EJ, she's been so good all year that I just wanted to make her have to do a little bit to get around me there and worked out in the end."

Brett Pelling trains Direction (Always B Miki-Blood Red) for breeder/owner Diamond Creek Racing of Wellsville, Pa. Now with a 12-3-3 summary from 20 lifetime appearances, Direction sports $758,066 in purses.

Won Last Call upsets Primo Maschio in DSBF prelim

George & Tina Dennis Racing's homebred Won Last Call gave Primo Maschio his first taste of defeat in nine career starts by posting a 26-1 upset in the second of two $27,778 first-round Delaware Standardbred Breeders' Fund (DSBF) preliminary events for two-year-old male pacers held on Thursday during the Matron undercard.

After breaking stride amid an early leave attempt, Won Last Call and driver Montrell Teague reset quickly enough to salvage a three-hole ride behind the previously undefeated Primo Maschio (Trae Porter) and Lew Not Lou (Tim Tetrick). Primo Maschio, who hadn't raced since his 1:54.1 win in the Harrington DSBF series championship on Oct. 7, rated fractions of :29, :58.3 and 1:27.3 before Won Last Call mounted a first-over challenge on the far turn.

Won Last Call turned up the heat off the corner for home, reeled in Primo Maschio with 40 yards to go, and won by a widening neck in a lifetime best 1:55.4. Primo Maschio finished second and Lew Not Lou was third, beaten 3-1/4 lengths.

Joe Columbo trains Won Last Call, a Badlands Hanover-Im Won Shot Wiser gelding with three wins from six career starts. He paid $54.40 to win.

Harrington series runner-up Shore Not Beach took the first DSBF division in 1:57.2, holding steadfast in a protracted duel with Wyatt Earp to win by a measured 1-1/4 lengths.

Pat Berry sent Shore Not Beach to an easy lead from post four, and the pair rated soft early fractions of :30 and 1:00.2 before Wyatt Earp (Justin Irvine) began his first-over ascent from fourth and pressed into a narrow lead with five-sixteenths to go. The pair duelled through a :28.4 third quarter, and Shore Not Beach asserted to reclaim the lead just above the eighth pole before widening his advantage while under wraps. Badlands Boogie (Russell Foster) finished third, 6-1/2 lengths in arrears.

Trainer Traci Berry's TLB Racing LLC owns Shore Not Beach, a Badlands Hanover-Azure Deo gelding bred by Odds On Nourrir with two wins from four career starts.

First-round DSBF competition continues on Monday, Nov. 11 with a pair of $20,000 USD divisions for two-year-old trotting fillies programmed at the beginning of a 15-race card at Bally's Dover. First post is 4:30 p.m. 

(Standardbred Canada, with files from DSBF)