The start of the Dover Downs' 41st season is only two weeks away. The 133-day meet kicks off on Sunday, November 1 and will kick off another six-month meet which will end on April 15, 2010.
As usual, the meet features top horses, top stables and top drivers. There will be 15 races daily and the track will host live programs of racing six days a week. The only 'dark' days will be Fridays.
There will be two giveaway items during the first weeks of racing. On opening day, fans will receive a 4" x 7" four-colour magnetic calendar. On Sunday, November 15, fans at the track will receive the 2009 Progress Pace hat.
A star-studded $4.5 million in purses including the track's signature event, the estimated $425,000 Progress Pace, will be doled out during the 18-stakes program.
The 2009-10 meet will feature racing Monday through Thursday starting at 4:30 p.m. First-race post times on Saturdays and Sundays will be 5:30 p.m.
The stakes action is plentiful on the first full weekend of racing. On Saturday, November 7, all four Matron Stakes for two-year-old elimination divisions leads off for two-year-old colt and filly trotters and pacers.
Sunday, November 8, the lucrative two-week Progress Pace classic for three-year-olds gets underway with $25,000 eliminations. On the same Sunday card, there are Matron elims for three-year-old colt and filly trotters and filly pacers.
The following weekend is showdown time. All four freshman finals are set for Saturday, November 14 setting the stage for Sunday's estimated $350,000 Progress Pace and $25,000 consolation plus the three lucrative Matron sophomore finals.
Later in November, the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) program for First State-sired two-year-olds also gets underway with two weeks of $20,000 elims ending on the first weekend in December with four $100,000 finals. In April, DSBF elims and finals for three-year-olds are scheduled.
Tony Morgan, leading driver at the track for three of the last four meets, heads a strong driver colony while Josh Green seeks a fifth consecutive leading trainer crown.
(With files from Dover)