Joey Bats set a lifetime mark when winning the $25,000 Open Trot at Dover Downs on Tuesday night (Nov. 19).
Driver Tony Morgan blasted off the gate with Lagerfeld protecting pylon position, forcing the race-favourite Scirocco Rob to take a seat in third.
Joey Bats, trained by Andrew Harris, set fractions of :27, :55.4 and 1:24 in progress to a 1:52.3 win. Majestic Marvel second while Lagerfeld finished third. The 4-5 race favourite Scirocco Rob finished fourth.
The second leg of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund (DSBF) for trotting freshmen featured two divisions of colts and two divisions of fillies on Tuesday (Nov. 19). Each division competed for a purse of $20,000.
The first colt split was a four horse non-wagering event which saw All Lies (Political Briefing-Bobbi Jo Ex) get up for his maiden win in 1:58.4. He is trained by Syl King Jr. for Bay Pond Racing and driven by Victor Kirby. Rocky Bomber got up for second over Air Time in third. The winner was bred by Winbak Farm.
All Zulu (CR Commando-CR Penny Lane) repeated in the DSBF while also taking a lifetime mark of 1:58 for breeder, owner, trainer and driver Rod Allen. Touch Of White was second followed by Chauffeur in third.
The first half of the Daily Double went to first-time winner Alert (Xactly Hanover-Mitsou Hanover) in 2:00.2 for trainer and driver Kim Vincent. Bred by Andy Markano, Alert is owned by Bart Cavanaugh’s Providence West, Inc. Happy To Do It finished a close second over last week’s winner Playoff Season.
Emmys Mayflower (Anders Bluestone-Stirling Charisma) also repeated in DSBF action while winning in a lifetime best of 1:57.2 for breeder, owner and trainer Eric Foster and driver Russell Foster. Orabelle, the Harrington final winner, was second and Wolfcat was placed third.
Top eight point earners of each sex will race in a $100,000 final on Tuesday, Nov. 26. There is a combined $15,000 consolation for colts and fillies.
The DSBF continues Wednesday, Nov. 20 with the two-year-old pacing fillies in both halves of the Daily Double. Post time is 4:30 p.m.
(with files from Dover and the DSBF)