A quartet of $110,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund Stakes finals for two-year-olds will headline a big week (Oct. 9-11) of racing at Harrington Raceway.
The action starts Monday, Oct. 9 with a first post of 4:30 p.m. as the male pacing colts will compete in the first final of the week. Badlands Hanover (three) is the only sire with multiple horses in the final, with the P T Stable’s Beat Cop (3-1, Tim Tetrick) and Stephen Messick’s Papas Son (2-1, Art Stafford) appearing to be the two chief contenders. Beat Cop, a son of Dragon King, swept his eliminations impressively for trainer Crissy Crissman-Bier, who acquired the freshman after his round one elimination win and will fire from post six. Meanwhile, Papas Son, a Papa Ray gelding, is coming off an elimination win and has the slight post edge, starting from post four. The race will go off as the seventh on the 15-race program.
Pacing fillies will battle on the Tuesday, Oct. 10 program, also in the seventh race, as Jo Ann Looney-King’s Curtsyforpurrseco (5-2, Tim Tetrick) will aim to atone for a miscue in her second elimination. A wide-open field awaits that also includes elimination winners Bellas Dream (7-2, Pat Berry) for co-owner/trainer Steve Leblanc, Bob Shahan’s Jett Propelled (9-1, Art Stafford Jr.), Eddie Davis’ Novas Baby Girl (8-1, Davis), Bryan Truitt Jr.’s Slipinsidewayz (3-1, Victor Kirby) and Rodney Wyatt, Kevin Peck and Gerald Burbage’s Designs On You (7-1, Allan Davis). There are two daughters each of Badlands Hanover and Roddys Bags Again in the field.
Wednesday, Oct. 11 will feature a pair of trotting finals with the fillies going first in race three. Track record holder Daburg (Pat Berry), who swept her eliminations, will square off with Glide Along (Cody Poliseno), who also won both of her eliminations.
A very competitive group will go post ward in the male trotting final in race seven, with no horse completing a sweep of their eliminations. LGs Bluestone (Stafford Jr.) was the fastest elimination winner (2:02.1) and drew post two for owners Nanticoke Racing et al., and is one of two Les Givens trainees in the field, the other being LGs Jaxon (Jim Morand), who drew post four off a 2:02.2 elimination win. Pam Wagner’s Ronnie Ridge (Kirby, post six) and Deborah Warnick’s Royal Beep Beep (Allan Davis, post seven) each won their first elimination. First-crop stallion E L Platinum (six) has the most horses in the trotting finals, while Anders Bluestone (four), Rolls Blue Chip (two) and Yankee Royalty (two) are also well represented.
Also on the programs this week are $50,000 Open events. The Bobby Quillen Memorial is Monday, Kathleen Cain on Tuesday and Allen J. Cook Memorial Trot on Wednesday.
On the wagering front, an early Pick 4 awaits in race two and late Pick 4 in the last four races nightly.
Live harness racing will continue on a Monday through Wednesday schedule until Oct. 18.
(With files from Harrington Raceway)