Despite poor weather conditions with a track labeled sloppy, Amigo Volo won the $25,000 Open Handicap Trot on Tuesday (Nov. 15) evening at Bally's Dover.
Leaving the gate, Crystal Fashion, Hl Revadon, and Amigo Volo were the early sprinters, heading for early positioning near the quarter pole. Crystal Fashion accepted the pocket and Hl Revadon settled into third.
Amigo Volo, the 2-5 betting favourite with pilot Victor Kirby in tow, took control of the race and hammered out fractions of :28.1, :57.3, and 1:26.3. Hl Revadon (Yannick Gingras) made a sustained first-up challenge to Amigo Volo. The pair of trotters raced in stride to the three-quarters.
At the top of the stretch, Amigo Volo braced for the relentless challenge of Hl Revadon, who continued on the rail while Crystal Fashion (Tim Tetrick) remained in the pocket. Despite racing back in five days, Amigo Volo showed grit in the lane and held on.
The five-year-old son of Father Patrick won by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:54.2. Owned by Pinske Stables and David Miller, Amigo Volo has earned over $2 million lifetime for trainer R. Nifty Norman. Crystal Fashion finished second and Hl Revadon finished third.
Four Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund eliminations were contested on the card and Kodack Black rolled to a repeat win in preliminary action, taking top honours with a 1:57 score in his $20,000 second-round split for two-year-old trotters. Perfect Twenty and Miss Daburg also coasted to preliminary sweeps in their respective events, while Royal Flirt vaulted to a 24-1 upset in her division.
Kodack Black, who won by a widening 14 lengths in the first round, proved similarly decisive over four rivals in the first division for two-year-old male trotters and missing his lifetime mark by just one-fifth of a second. Driver Montrell Teague angled the Kodak Lindy-Love On Broadway gelding out from third and brushed to clear Reddy Fox (driven by Art Stafford Jr.) after a :29.3 first quarter. Kodack Black advanced willingly and took control with just over a lap to go, and then rated middle splits of :59.2 and 1:28.3 before widening his lead steadily through the far turn. The three-time winner switched gears and sprinted home in :28.2 to put nine lengths of clearance on Reddy Fox at the winning post. Paleface (Allan Davis) finished third, another length behind.
Clyde Francis trains Kodack Black for owner-breeder George Teague Jr. Inc. and ownership partners David Collins and Lakiyah Teachey.
In the second split for colts and geldings, Perfect Twenty and driver Tim Tetrick dueled with Clifton Green stablemate Hespookshescores (Russell Foster) through the first eighth of a mile, cleared on the first turn, and traveled uncontested through sectionals of :29, :59 and 1:28.2 before drawing 8-1/4 lengths clear of his stablemate. Royal Mistake (Kim Vincent) improved mildly off the home turn to just miss second.
Robert Allison Jr. owns five-time winner Perfect Twenty, a Yankee Royalty-Jetta Spring gelding bred by Jason Leid.
Miss Daburg became the third two-year-old trotter to sweep their Dover preliminary events with a pillar-to-post 2:00 win in the second division for fillies. Sent off the 4-5 favourite, the Anders Bluestone-Comical Dream filly strode easily to the lead from post four and was rated through a 1:00.3 first half by driver Pat Berry before facing a first-over challenge from Starlight Lounge (Tetrick) up the backstretch. Miss Daburg evaded her outside foe, accelerated five lengths clear on the final turn, and maintained 3-3/4 lengths of that margin at the end of a 2:00 mile. Lady Brass (Foster) rallied off Starlight Lounge's cover to narrowly claim second in the final yards.
Traci Berry trains two-time winner Miss Daburg, who paid $3.60 to win. Owner J. Craparotta & P. Berry Racing LLC bred the filly in partnership with Taylor Gower.
The first filly division produced a major upset after odds-on leader She Is Strong (Stafford) faded sharply on the far turn after setting splits of :29.3, 1:00 and 1:30.3. Royal Flirt, in line to trainer-driver Kim Vincent, mounted a rally from third midway on the far turn and pushed to the fore at the eighth pole. From there, she sprinted 4-3/4 lengths clear of Gold Rate (Victor Kirby), who escaped a failing pocket to save second, and won in 2:01. Bluemoonrising (Ross Wolfenden) improved belatedly for third.
Royal Flirt, a Yankee Royalty-J N Payton filly who paid $51.60 to win in her maiden-breaking outing, is owned by Providence West Inc. and was bred by William Miller III.
The eight highest point earners of each sex will meet in $100,000 finals next Tuesday (Nov. 22).
The eligible colts and geldings are: Kodack Black, Perfect Twenty, Hespookshescores, Reddy Fox, Carl's Legacy, I Got It Made, Paleface and Rob's Road. The eligible fillies are: Miss Daburg, Royal Flirt, Lilmisswontbewrong, Lady Brass, Gold Rate, Last Nights Hit, Bluemoonrising and Fairlee.
On Wednesday (Nov. 16), the $26,000 Mares Open Handicap will be contested. The second preliminary round of the Bally's Dover DSBF series for two-year-olds also wraps up Wednesday, with three $20,000 divisions for pacing fillies slated to commence the card. The first division will take place as a non-wagering event at 4:10 p.m., while the other two kick off a 15-race pari-mutuel program scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Thursday's (Nov. 15) card features two Progress Pace elimination races featuring Pebble Beach, I Did It Myway, and Beach Glass in separate divisions.
(With files from Bally's Dover and Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund)