Rock N Roll Heaven, the No. 1-ranked horse in harness racing’s weekly Top 10 poll, is among 12 horses entered in the Matron Stakes for three-year-old male pacers
at Dover Downs. Two six-horse eliminations will be held Sunday at Dover Downs. The top four from each elim will advance to the final.
Driven by Daniel Dube and trained by Bruce Saunders, Rock N Roll Heaven has won 14 of 19 races this year and earned $2.05 million. Rock N Roll Heaven has won eight consecutive races since back-to-back defeats by a head in the Meadowlands Pace and a division of the Oliver Wendell Holmes. His wins included the Little Brown Jug and Messenger (two-thirds of the Pacing Triple Crown) and the Breeders Crown.
Rock N Roll Heaven will start from Post 6 in his elimination. To his inside, from the rail, are Urgent Action, Shoobees Place, Sharks Legacy, Rockin Image, and Windfall Blue Chip. Rockin Image is coming off a victory in last weekend’s $320,000 Progress Pace at Dover Downs.
The Matron will be the last start for Rock N Roll Heaven, a fact Saunders is not allowing himself to think about.
“Not really,” he said. “I’m just going to try to make it another race. I hope we can continue to roll. It’s a different group of horses down there. Rockin Image has been very sharp, dominated those horses in the Progress Pace, and there’s a couple of fresh faces in there, I think. They’ll have their work cut out with Rockin Image and Rock N Roll Heaven.
“The way he’s been racing [outside post] shouldn’t matter. Rock N Roll Heaven’s had a nice week and he’s usually good when he’s had a week off. I’m not concerned about how he’ll race, just how much luck he’ll need to beat Rockin Image as he looks like he’s razor sharp, better than any time during the year.
“We have some opportunity to look toward the future with the empty stall that he’s going to leave -– I’m not looking forward to it. Usually Lester [caretaker Lester Benson] has my best horse in that stall. I think probably what we’ll do, Lookinforadventure, who we raced in the Matron last week, he’s going to the farm next week, when he comes back we’ll probably put him in that stall.”
Saunders says Rock N Roll Heaven loves his work and the season doesn’t show on him at all.
“A guy tried to go by him jogging and he got all torqued up,” he said. “He’s looking for a race. I’ll train him up a little bit [Thursday] and he maintains his enthusiasm every day. I can’t say he’s tired, worn out. He’s just happy to be doing what he’s doing.”
The other elim features Adios winner Delmarvalous, who was second in the Progress. Delmarvalous will start from Post 4. Inside are Wellthereyougo, Valentino, and Dreamlands Art. To his outside are Tobago Cays, and Nova Artist.
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.