Thanks to patient early handling from driver Pat Berry, Lady Burg sustained an uncovered grind through the middle half to put away Song Master and had enough left to withstand late pressure from Kats Fancy to win Monday's (Nov. 25) $152,778 Marv Bachrad Memorial at Bally's Dover, sealing top honors in the Delaware Standardbred Breeders' Fund (DSBF) series for two-year-old trotting fillies.
Lady Burg was unhurried at race's outset, settling second-over on the opening turn behind 30-1 long shot Song Master (driven by Carlo Poliseno), who vaulted to the lead from post seven and cleared Royal Toni (Kim Vincent) for control at the end of a :28.2 first quarter. Uncovered with a lap to go, Lady Burg advanced on the outside to engage the pacesetter through a :57.4 half before pushing to the lead midway up the backstretch. After doing away with Song Master, the E L Platinum-Comical Dream filly faced immediate pressure from eventual runner-up Kats Fancy (Cody Poliseno), who made a mild bid past three-quarters in 1:28.3. Lady Burg rebuffed Kats Fancy's challenge by 1-1/2 lengths, winning in a lifetime best 2:00. Indiana Star (Tony Morgan) rallied mildly for third.
Lady Burg, who competes as a homebred for J. Craparotta & P. Berry Racing and is trained by Traci Berry, has now won four of her seven career starts and banked $129,671. As the even-money favourite, she paid $4.20 to win.
Rookie male trotters contest their $110,000 USD DSBF series championship Tuesday (Nov. 26), with Melvin G installed as the 2-5 morning line favourite. That event is programmed as the fourth of 15 races on the card; first post is 4:30 p.m. EST.
(Delaware Standardbred Breeders' Fund)