Traverse Seelster made his first start in a month a winning one taking the $20,000 Open Trot in 1:53.1 Lovely Vacation turned in a 1:55.4 success in the $15,000 Winners Over sub-feature trot Wednesday at Dover Downs.
Meet-leading, and currently the sport’s leading driver in 2014, Corey Callahan guided Traverse Seelster into the lead early and led seven rivals home in 1:53.1. The holder of the track record for an older trotter notched his 22nd lifetime win earning $425,009 in purses. Awsome Valley, who had been racing on the lead with Tony Morgan in recent starts, closed along the passing lane from third to finish second. Modern Family and Daryl Bier challenged for the lead but had to accept third.
Keith Pippi owns Traverse Seelster, an Angus Hall-Travelin Lavec gelding, trained by Josh Green.
Lovely Vacation and Ron Pierce started from Post 1 and controlled the action scoring a 1:55.4 wire-to-wire victory in the $15,000 Winners-Over Handicap trot. Nick Surick conditions the Majestic Son-Short Vacation five-year-old mare - the only female in the event - for owner Diane Giuliano. Can Do (Vic Kirby) closed well for second-place honours with Im So Striking (Eddie Dennis), who had a two-race win streak halted, finishing third.
Both Corey Callahan and Ron Pierce scored a ‘grand slam’ driving four winners apiece on the card.
(Dover Downs)