Canadian-connected horses look to figure prominently into the eight lucrative Matron Stakes races set for Thursday at Dover Downs.
A total of $1,561,150 in Matron Stakes purses is on the line in eight stakes finals. There are five millionaires entered over the eight stakes finals; one of whom, Father Patrick, has earned more than $2-million among the Matron starters.
Jimmy Takter trainees Wild Honey and Smexi headline the $203,800 Two-Year-Old Filly Trot. Wild Honey (PP7, Yannick Gingras, 6-5) has won eight of nine races on the year for Christina Takter, Herb Liverman and the Fielding Bros. Those same connections own Goldsmith Maid winner Smexi (PP3, Corey Callahan, 7-2), the richest filly in the field and one of three with marks under 1:55.
In the $237,500 Matron for freshman colt trotters, two of the top colts from last month's Valley Victory at Woodbine will line up side by side: Uncle Lasse (PP5, Ron Pierce, 7-2) and Habitat (PP6, Yannick Gingras, 5-2).
While the two-year-old pacing filly division has been dominanted his year by JK Sheslady, Sassa Hanover (PP8, Gingras, 5-2) has compiled a solid resume in her own right with eight wins in 10 starts and a 1:50.1 speed badge that makes her the co-fastest freshman filly in harness racing history. She looks to be the one to beat in the $199,600 Two-Year-Old Filly Pace.
Finishing up the two-year-old divisions are the colt pacers. Yankee Bounty (PP6, David Miller, 5-2) has only been defeated once in nine starts this year, and that loss came at the hands of red-hot rookie In The Arsenal (PP2, Brian Sears, 7-2), the season's fastest two-year-old. These two and six others will face off in the $193,200 Matron.
With the Ontario Sires Stakes season completed, three-year-old trotting filly White Becomes Her (PP7, D. Miller, 30-1) continues to hit the Grand Circuit stakes for Twilight Stables of Brampton, Ont. with an appearance in the $160,950 Matron but faces a pair of vicious fillies in dominant divisional divas Shake It Cerry (PP5, Pierce, 8-5) and Lifetime Pursuit (PP3, Gingras, 3-2).
Another OSS graduate, Harper Blue Chip (PP3, Tim Tetrick, 5-1) will have his hands full with the division's two richest competitors in the $200,350 Matron for three-year-old colt trotters: Father Patrick (PP1, Gingras, 8-5) and Nuncio (PP8, John Campbell, 5-2). Harper Blue Chip's last start was on Oct. 11 at Woodbine when he won the $250,000 OSS Super Final for trainer Mark Steacy and Ontario-based owners Landmark 6 Racing Stable, David McDonald, David Reid and George Judson.
The three-year-old pacing colt division has been wide open all year and Thursday's $186,550 Matron Stakes looks no different. A number of Canadian-connected colts look to have solid shots. John Craig's Luck Be Withyou (PP2, Tetrick, 2-1) has been installed as the morning line favourite despite finishing second in his last start -- The Messenger at Yonkers Raceway -- to the horse to his inside, All Bets Off (PP1, Matt Kakaley, 5-2), a winner of six of his last seven starts. Rosemary Shelswell of Cookstown, Ont. co-owns the colt along with Burke Racing Stable, Frank Baldachino and The Panhellenic Stable Corp. Casie Coleman trainee McWicked (PP3, David Miller, 7-2), the richest and fastest colt in the race, is right beside these two speedsters.
A quick glance at the earnings among the sophomore fillies in the $179,200 Matron Stakes shows even more parity than the colt counterparts. The morning line tells a similar tale, with Act Now (PP3, George Brennan, 5-2), Weeper (PP5, Dave Palone, 3-1) and Fielding Bros. co-owned Gettingreadytoroll (PP7, Gingras, 3-1) all close on the morning line in the Matron finale, with OSS Super Final winner Skippin By (PP8, Sears, 9-1) also in the mix for trainer Corey Johnson.
A $26,000 Delaware Special, headed by defending Horse of the Meet Nova Artist and track record holder Bandolito, lead a strong undercard. Post time is 4:30 p.m.