Driver Ron Pierce had himself a whale of a day Thursday at Dover Downs thanks to the seven trips he made to victory lane during the Delaware oval’s 15-race program.
Pierce got the party started with a second race score behind Hes Unbelievable (1:56), and he returned to take the checkered flag in the sixth race with Bettors Arena (1:54). He captured the next four races in order thanks to wins with Whackamole Hanover (1:51.3), Adventure Bound (1:51.2), Swingisthething A (1:53) and Mustang Art (1:51). He capped off his productive day by capturing Race 14 with Big Bad Eli (1:51.2).
Pierce, who recently surpassed the 8,500-win plateau, is also closing in on a major earnings milestone. The Clarksburg, NJ reinsman is just over $5 million away from becoming a member of the $200 million club. Pierce has banked more than $5 million in earnings in each of the last 16 seasons.
North America’s dash leading driver Corey Callahan, however, mapped out the winning trip for Dancin Yankee in Thursday’s featured $35,000 Preferred Pace. The five-year-old son of Yankee Cruiser-Dancewiththebest watched Southwestern Dream supply first-half fractions of :26.2 and :54 before taking matters into his own hands. Dancin Yankee rushed to the lead in the backstretch and opened up by a pair of lengths at the three-quarter marker in 1:21.4. A :28.2 closing panel was just enough for him to hold off race favourite Stolen Car by a head in 1:50.1. Mainland Key N rounded out the top three.
Josh Green trains the 20-time winner for owners Robert Briley of Xenia, OH and Baron Racing Stable of Horsham, PA. The lion’s share of the purse boosted his lifetime bankroll to $432,462.