Stablemates Qs Cruise and Duplicated took home top honours in Thursday’s main events at Dover Downs, and they did so for the tandem of driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Jim King, Jr.
Sent off as the 4-5 favourite in the $27,500 Blue Hen Open Handicap, Qs Cruise turned a two-hole trip into a 1:51 triumph.
Slick Tony fired to the front from his assigned Post 8 starting spot on the gate, and he went on to whack out fractions of :26.4, :55.2 and 1:23. All the while, Qs Cruise was shadowing the favourite in the pocket spot. Tetrick found clearance late and Qs Cruise used a :27.3 closing quarter to prevail by a neck over Slick Tony in 1:51. Owosse Flash took home third prize.
It was the second straight win for Qs Cruise, who improved his 2019 record to 9-5-6 from 31 trips to the track. The 21-time winner recently surpassed $350,000 in career earnings for owner Joann Looney King of Harrington, DE.
Duplicated N did all the road work to capture the $25,000 Open Handicap, and he did so as an odds-on favourite just like his stablemate.
Tetrick put the King trainee in charge as soon as the starting gate sped away, and after slicing out splits of :26.3, :54.4 and 1:22.2 the pacer stormed home in :28.2 to seal the deal by three-quarters of a length over Sicily in 1:50.4. Bo Mach took home the show dough.
The five-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere-Twice As Great now owns a 3-2-4 record from 19 starts this season. Richard Poillucci and Joann Looney King share ownership on the 14-time winner who went over $230,000 in career earnings with the victory.
When the 14-race program came to an end, the final score read six wins for Tetrick and four for King. It’s become a common occurrence for the duo to put up multiple win performances at the Dover Downs oval.