Don and David Wiest's Tuis Star rolled to her fifth consecutive win in the second of two $28,169 second-round Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) events for two-year-old trotting fillies on Monday, Nov. 17 at Bally's Dover and, in doing so, stamped herself as the likely odds-on favourite in next week's $110,000 USD series final.
With Corey Callahan again at the controls for trainer David Wiest, Tuis Star left from post five and cleared Suburban Lady (Troy Beyer) to control splits of :30.1, 1:00.2 and 1:30.3. The daughter of E L Platinum-Tui turned on the jets through a :28.4 closing sectional, sprinting to a career-best 1:59.2 mile time and putting 11 lengths on Belle Natania (Trae Porter), who narrowly collared Suburban Lady for runner-up honors.
In her five DSBF wins, Tuis Star has beaten her competition by a combined 36-1/4 lengths. She has earned $137,772 in her career.
Emerys Angel likewise swept her preliminary divisions, posting a lifetime-best 2:00.4 win in the first section.
Art Stafford Jr. secured the top spot with the Top Flight Angel-Judy Luns filly through a :29.2 quarter, made easy work of the first-over Rainingrainbows (Allan Davis) on the far turn and accelerated home in :29 to keep pocket rival Wolfpack One (Beyer) 1-1/4 lengths at bay. Sheas Bluestone (Mark King) rallied mildly for third, another seven lengths behind.
Trainer Stacy Johnson-Stafford co-owns Emerys Angel, now a two-time winner with $54,452 in earnings, with Wyatt Starkey.
Tuis Star and Emerys Angel lead the eight qualifiers for next Monday's series championship and will be joined by Wolfpack One, Suburban Lady, Belle Natania, Sheas Bluestone, Rainingrainbows and Angelic Valentine.
Rookie male trotters take center stage at Bally's Dover this Tuesday, competing in a pair of $20,000 USD second-round events carded as the first and fourth races on the 15-race program. First post is 4:30 p.m.
(Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund)