Sayulita, the only filly in a field of eight, pulled a surprise to win Tuesday’s $20,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap at Dover Downs.
Tony Morgan was paired up with Sayulita, a sophomore daughter of Somebeachsomewhere-Fresh Idea, and they quickly swept past race favourite Purrfect Bags en route to a 1:52.1 triumph for trainer Dickie Lewis and owners David Banks and Layfield Horses. Empress Deo (Allan Davis) rushed from last to finish a close second. Scandalicious (Jim Morand) was third.
Four $20,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) prelims also went postward on Tuesday, with JoAnn Looney-King’s Logan Girl breezing to a 1:56.2 victory. It was her fifth win in a row and sixth in seven lifetime races. A Lady Sizzling (Morgan) was second best in front of Spinvisible (Davis).
The Roddys Bags Again-All Italian filly has banked $97,850 to date.
Lunar Phase, sent off at 17-1, came on to overtake early leader Spinpressive (Corey Callahan) en route to notching a 1:57 score in the second DSBF prelim. Trainer/driver Art Stafford co-owns the Roddys Bags Again filly with Wyatt Starkey. Bedeviled Renegade (Vince Copeland) was the show horse.
Later Joel and Dianne Halpern’s homebred Westwind Roddylee, a brown Roddys Bags Again-Lees Best filly, cruised home in 1:57.2 for Tony Morgan. Magicinthemoonlite (Gingras) tested the winner heading around the final turn then yielded still finishing second. So Many Friends (George Dennis) took third.
(With files from Dover Downs)