Celebrity Pegasus rang up his third win of the meet and 13th of the meet with a 1:53.2 victory in the $25,000 Open Trot on Tuesday (Dec. 19) at Dover Downs. Tony Morgan drove two winners and now is only four wins from reaching 16,000 driving wins.
Art Stafford, Jr. drove Celebrity Pegasus, a brown five-year-old son of Andover Hall and Celebrity Athena who drew off in the lane and then was greeted in the winner’s circle by Kris Kringle on his annual visit to Dover Downs. Eric Ell conditions the winner for Ken Wood, Bill Dittmar, Steve Iaquinta, and Minisink Farms. Kanthaka (Tim Tetrick) finished second with Theresademoninme (Jonathan Roberts) third.
It was the second win for the owners, trainer, and driver, who also notched a 1:55.1 victory with Perseverance in a $13,500 trot. Photo Message (Eddie Davis, Jr.) was the runner-up. Torkill (Montrell Teague) took third. The win was the sixth of the year for the three-year-old Cantab Hall-Caviar For The Lady gelding who now has won $87,102 this season.
Tough Mac, a local favourite who returned to the races recently for the first time since last May, got back in the win column as Corey Callahan guided the veteran geding to a 1:53.2 success by a nose in a $13,000 trot. Mike Casalino owns the Lockkeeper-Traditional Lady eight-year-old trained by Dylan Davis. It was is 31st career victory and raised his lifetime bankroll to $379.539.
Royal Becca J was second in the photo, preventing a two-win afternoon for driver Jack Parker, Jr. Earlier in a $12,000 trot, Parker piloted seven-year-old NF Happenstance, a daughter of SJs Caviar-Moira Hall, from post 8 to a near wire-to-wire triumph in 1:54.1, her first win back since her four-year-old campaign. Marleys Guy (Tetrick) and Nothing But Nice (Callahan) were second and third respectively.
Tony Morgan moved to within four winning drives of his 16,000th career win, the second-most in the harness racing world.
For the second consecutive day, Corey Callahan led all drivers with three wins. Tony Morgan and Art Stafford, Jr. had two each. Trainers Dylan Davis and Eric Ell and owners Wood, Dittmar, Iaquinta, and Minisink Farms had two wins also.
Nat A Virgin, Enhance Your Mind meet in Wednesday’s Mares Open
Last week, Nat A Virgin and Corey Callahan came from far back to beat Enhance Your Mind, last season’s Horse of the Meet in the $25,000 Mares Open pace. They renew their rivalry in the Wednesday (Dec. 20) feature race at Dover Downs. Post time is 4:30 p.m.
This time, Mike Casalino’s Nat A Virgin drew the outside post 8 to the right of owner-trainer Bryan Truitt’s Enhance Your Mind, who has two wins and a second in her last four outings with regular driver Vic Kirby. Divas Image put in a strong performance a week ago for Tim Tetrick, cutting the mile before tiring to finish third for trainer Jenn Bongiorno and owners Our Horse Cents, Stable 45, and J&T Silva Stables.
Jag Out, a former winner of this event, will get driver Tony Morgan for owners Bert Hochsprung, J.L. Benson, and Nick Surick Stables. The rest of the talented eight-female field includes Legacy Racing’s Empress Deo with Ross Wolfenden; owner-trainer Gary Ewing’s hard-hitting Sweet Bobbie and Art Stafford, Jr.; Joe Davino, Pat O’Brien and Brad Shackman’s Keystone Riptide, guided by Russell Foster; and the Mike Hall-leased Rocknroll Vision with Jonathan Roberts leaving from the rail.
The strong Wednesday card will be followed on Thursday (Dec. 21) with a powerful 13-race program headed by a wide-open $25,000 Open pace.
Thursday (Dec. 21) is the final program of the 2017 potion of the season. Dover Downs observes a traditional Christmas holiday break next week. Live racing will resume on New Year’s Day (Monday, Jan. 1) and continue four days a week, Monday through Thursday, with post time at 4:30 p.m.
(Dover Downs)