For the second straight week, Nova Artist ground out a victory in the $35,000 Preferred/Open Handicap at Dover Downs. Allan Davis guided the pacer to the 1:51 triumph in Thursday feature.
Owned by Eddie and Kathy Davis, and trained and driven by their sons, Martin and Allan, Nova Artist briefly battled Valentino and Yannick Gingras before moving to the lead and then rolled on to his seventh win of the year with the decisive score. The Real Artist-Avon Lady five-year-old, the 2011 Dover Horse of the Meet, has now won $153,170 this season and $587,117 lifetime.
Windfall Blue Chip came on for Montrell Teague for second. Newcomer Paco Ladbrook teamed with Ron Pierce subbing for Brad Hanners who was out with a troublesome shoulder.
In the prior race, Yannick Gingras racked up his second win giving KDM Stable’s Versado to a 1:51 victory overtaking front-stepping This Is Wyatt (Ross Wolfenden) in the stretch. Wind Me Up (Montrell Teague) was the show finisher. Versado is a Dragon Again-Beach Jenny gelding trained by Nick Surick. The pacer moved to $204,210 in seasonal earnings and $712,448 in his career with the win.
Joe Muscara’s Stolen Car gave George Dennis his third win on the card notching a 1:50.4 triumph in one of two $16,500 Male Winners-Over paces. Charger (Ross Wolfenden) was runner-up. Artist Point (Roger Plate) was the show horse. A four-year-old son of Mach Three-Ashlee’s Luck, it was his fourth win of the campaign with $79,323 earned this season.
The other division went to Art Brewer’s Restless Native as Mike Cole drove the Allamerican Native-Baroque Bogart gelding to win number five this year for owner-trainer Art Brewer. Polaris N (Ross Wolfenden) and Racing Rocky (Montrell Teague) were second and third respective.
(Dover Downs)