Five days after delivering a decisive score in his Maryland debut, Chalk Hanover proved a powerful two-move winner in the featured $12,500 top-level conditioned pace at Rosecroft Raceway on Saturday, May 3.

After getting away in midfield behind a :26.3 first quarter controlled by 28-1 shot Stakeholder (William Carter), Roberts aggressively brushed Chalk Hanover to the lead before completing a :55.2 half, only to be headed by Alabamajamma (Russell Foster) with three-eighths to go. Chalk Hanover resolutely held his ground through a :26.4 third-quarter duel, refusing to let Alabamajamma clear and reclaiming the lead at the eighth pole en route to a 1:50.3 score by 1-1/4 lengths. A Major Attitude (Roger Plante Jr.) dove to the inside and rallied for second over Phils Sun (Declan Donoway), who narrowly collared Alabamajamma for third.

Chalk Hanover, a four-year-old Bettors Delight-Current Hanover gelding, is trained by Eric Ell for Ken Wood, Bill Dittmar, and Steve Laquinta. The pacer paid $3.40 to win.

This win gave driver Jonathan Roberts one of four wins on the 11-race Derby Day program. Roberts also drove R N B Band (1:52.4, $4) and Starship (1:52.1, $2.20) to victory for his father, trainer William "Bib" Roberts, as well as Manferno (1:51.4, $10) for trainer Greg Trotto.

Live racing returns to Rosecroft on Wednesday, May 7. A pair of non-wagering Maryland Sire Stakes preliminary divisions are slated for 6:30 p.m. (EDT) and 6:45 p.m. The 13-race pari-mutuel program will begin at 7:15 p.m. and feature a $4,508.76 carryover in the Jackpot Hi-5, offered in Race 10.

(With files from Rosecroft Raceway)