Tough Mac took the lead and never looked back in the Dover Downs $18,000 Open/Handicap Trot, scoring his third consecutive victory and giving meet leader Corey Callahan his fourth win of the day on Wednesday, Jan. 28.
Callahan rushed the Mike Casalino-owned Tough Mac smartly out of post six and kept his seven rivals at bay the rest of a lifetime-best, 1:52.4 mile, coming the final quarter in :28.1 to put his record at three-for-three in 2015. Tirade Hanover took a shot at the leader heading for the three-quarters but retreated when the field turned for home. Baximum rolled down the passing lane for Allan Davis to edge Powerful Charger (Trace Tetrick) for second money. The victory was the 13th lifetime for Tough Mac (Lockkeeper-Traditional Lady), now a winner of $151,837.
William Cantrell’s Classic Belisima scored her fourth consecutive decisive victory in the first of two $14,000 4&5-Year-Old Winners Over Trots in a new personal mark of 1:55.4. Callahan teamed up with the John Cabot-conditioned well-bred daughter of Crazed-Classic Yankee. Please Okay (Victor Kirby) and Wartech (Tony Morgan) completed the top three finishers.
Razor Ramone prevailed in 1:54.2 in the other $14,000 division as Ron Pierce picked up his fourth win on the card. The Kadabra-Oaklea Rae four-year-old won for the third straight time for trainer Eric Ell and owners Steve Iaquinta and Bill Dittmar. Finishing half a length behind, Derby (Allan Davis) was runner-up and Hit Andrun (Art Stafford Jr.) was third.
Other trotters on winning tears during the program were: Howard and Josh Kaufman’s Hey Pancho (Trace Tetrick), trainer John Cabot’s second win, and fourth straight success in an $11,500 4&5-Year-Old Trot; Payson Racing’s Joyeux Dream (Pierce), also with four-in-a-row winning a $15,000-$20,000 Claiming Trot in 1:55.1; and two other race winners of two straight, Breakaway Racing’s Holiday Spirit (Callahan) in 1:57.4 taking an $8,000 trot for young horses and John Cancelliere’s Winning Design (Pierce) winning a $5,500 trot for three and four-year-olds.
On Thursday, Papa Ray returns to face Bandolito and Mustang Art in the $25,000 Delaware Special feature.
(With files from Dover Downs)