‘Noodle’ Prevails By A Nose
Use Your Noodle pushed her winning streak to three-in-a-row thanks to a career-best performance in Tuesday’s $100,000 final of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund for three-year-old pacing fillies at Dover Downs.
Jim Morand took a brief tuck behind Eternal Ring before moving Use Your Noodle to the position of command at the quarter pole in :27.2. Apple Bottom Jeans took over from the favourite at the half in :55.3, and she proceeded to lead the field to the three-quarter pole in 1:23.2. Use Your Noodle rallied in the lane and used her :27.3 closing quarter to prevail by a nose over Apple Bottom Jeans in 1:51.1. Eternal Ring tagged along to finish third.
Les Givens trains the daughter of Artzina-Lo Gophobia, who was sent off as the 6-5 favourite, for Nanticoke Racing Inc, Henry Faragalli III, Arthur Feeney, Trevor Johnson. It was the third win of the season – and the sixth to date – for the career winner of $128,681.
Springforth failed to hit the board in last week’s $24,000 Fillies & Mares Open Handicap for pacers, but she made amends in this week’s edition.
George Dennis had the speedster on the lead at the quarter marker in :26.1, but she took a seat behind Divine Caroline who then hit the half in :55. Divine Caroline was still in charge of the tempo at the three-quarter pole in 1:23, but Springforth sprung loose and fired home in :28 to claim the win by three-quarters of a length over Hostess Lisa in 1:51.1. Scandalicious came on strong to take home the show dough.
Sent off at odds of 4-1, Springforth improved her 2016 record to 3-4-2 from 14 trips to the track for owner/trainer Jeffery Clark of Centreville, MD. The 19-time winner has banked more than $382,000 to date.