It was a night for First State sired freshmen fillies at Dover Downs on a cold Saturday, November 22. No More Games, Funny Brief and Jas Commando won the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) $20,000 first-leg preliminary trots while Lofty Expectations, Shes Everything and Toms Toy were the winning pacers. Trainers George Teague and Manley Brown and their drivers Jim Morand and Vic Kirby won two prelims each. Ross Wolfenden had a driving triple.
All three filly trots featured easy wins, two with Vic Kirby at the controls of Manley Brown contestants. No More Games, a CR Commando-Celebrity Charter bay, turned in the most impressive victory. Corey Callahan opened up a big lead heading into the final turn and breezed home a 2:00.2 winner, her first win in only three starts for trainer Erv Miller and owner Kathleen Kuebler. Copper Harbor (Tony Morgan) was second best with Circle M Yankee taking the photo for third place.
Kirby driving Pam Wagner's Jas Commando took no prisoners en route to a 2:02.4 score in another $20,000 DSBF prelim. The Felton Queen (Jim Morand) was next with Worthy Command (Ross Wolfenden) the show horse. The win was the third in seven starts for the CR Commando-Anastasia J filly trained by Manley Brown.
Funny Briefs, a Political Briefing-Over Comical lass owned by Lloyd Arnold, was the other Brown-trained, Kirby-driven winner in 2:03.1. Second-place belonged to Oh Sweet Victory (Wolfenden) with Pin As Sin (Jim Morand) third.
Another potent combination, trainer George Teague and driver Jim Morand, collaborated on a pair of winners in $20,000 colt and gelding divisions. Shes Everything, a daughter of Badlands Hanover-Theatrical Hanover, notched a 1:55 victory, her sixth of the year for K&R Racing and Teague Inc. The odds-on favorite won for the fifth consecutive start. Little Bit Tricky (Wolfenden) and CJ Crystal (Roger Plante) were second and third respectively.
The Teague-Morand team registered a 1:57.3 triumph in another DSBF section when Lofty Expectations beat Ajs Lilgamblngal to the wire. Go Jackie Jo (Wolfenden) was the third finisher. VIP Internet Stable owns the filly sired by Badlands Hanover from Lofty Aspirations.
Toms Toy, with Corey Callahan handling the reins, won her second race in seven starts rolling home a 1:56 winner for owner Tom Cooke. A filly by Powerful Toy-Glowing Hans is conditioned by Roger Hans. Everymileamemory (Kirby) was runner-up. Rustys Joy (Wolfenden) cut out early fractions and finished third.
The second round of DSBF Filly prelims takes place next Saturday. The top eight point getters qualify for $100,000 finals for filly and colt trotters on Sunday, December 7. The colt and filly pacer finals are slated for Monday, December 8.
(With files from Dover)