With no eliminations necessary for this year’s Progress Pace, eight three-year-old pacing colts prepped for the big event on Sunday night at Dover Downs and supplemental entry McWicked won the $35,000 preview.
Driven by David Miller, McWicked took the lead in front of the grandstand for the first time and went on to win in 1:48.4 for trainer Casie Coleman and the S S G Stables. The connections of the McArdle colt chose to supplement him to the Progress Pace for $25,000 after winning the $531,250 Breeders Crown last weekend.
North America Cup winner JK Endofanera (Yannick Gingras) had worked his way to the lead into the first turn over Parnu Hanover (Andy Miller) and reached the first quarter in :26.3 before McWicked swept up from third to take over command. The slight second choice raced on by the half in :54.1 and three-quarters in 1:22.1 before opening up a few lengths on top down the stretch to seal the deal. Favourite JK Endofanera finished second with Windy City and Matron Stakes champion Big Boy Dreams (Ron Pierce) advancing first over from fifth down the backstretch to come on for third. Messenger Stakes winner All Bets Off (Matt Kakaley) followed Big Boy Dreams' cover and completed a sweep of the second through fourth-place positions for trainer Ron Burke.
McWicked paid $4.20 to win. He has won half of his 22 starts this year while amassing $1.3 million in earnings. His other major wins include the Hempt Memorial, Adios, and Pennsylvania Sires Stakes Championship.
All eight starters return next Sunday (Nov. 7) for the $301,000 Progress Pace. Fans at the track will receive a 2014 Progress Pace cap.
Also on the Sunday program were three $20,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) second leg preliminaries for two-year-old colt pacers.
Remember Me VK, with a 1:51.4 performance, was the fastest freshman on Sunday's card. Montrell Teague was in the bike for trainer Bobby Wyatt and owners Ron Benton and Sharon Wyatt. The Art Director-All Memory gelding was also the winner of last month’s $100,000 DSBF Final in Harrington Raceway track record time of 1:52.3. Sonofa Sizzle (Corey Callahan) was an easy second. Seboomook Katahdin (Allan Davis) was third.
Corey Callahan teamed with Howard Taylor’s Smoking Joey to win the first DSBF prelim, fashioning a 1:53.4 score. The Riggins-You Dont Know Me gelding, never out of the money in eight starts, is trained by Doug Lewis. Rigged To Go (Ross Wolfenden) was runner-up with Art Season (Allan Davis) third.
Scott Woogen’s K J Ben, handled by Art Stafford Jr., won the third and final $20,000 prelim with a 1:54.1 victory, his fifth in eight lifetime trips. A homebred son of Riggins-Winsmith Karen, the winner is conditioned by Duane Wagner. Dashboard (Trace Tetrick) and Roddys Hot Again (George Dennis) were second and third, respectively.
A pair of $20,000 DSBF Filly Paces and an $18,000 Mares Open Pace highlight the Monday, Dec. 1 card. Post time is 4:30 p.m.
(With files from Dover Downs)