Not even a first-over trip could stop McWicked from taking home top prize in the $301,560 final of the Progress Pace for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings Sunday evening at Dover Downs.
The Casie Coleman-trained pacer got away third for driver David Miller while Yannick Gingras hustled JK Endofanera to the early lead from Post 2. JK Endofanera led the way through first-half fractions of :25.4 and :54.1 before coming under heavy pressure from McWicked.
JK Endofanera and McWicked went toe-to-toe to the three-quarter pole in 1:21.3 before McWicked started to draw away. He cruised under the line in 1:48.3, with JK Endofanera settling for the runner-up award. Somewhere In L A was a well-beaten third.
Ed James’ S S G Stables of North Boston, New York owns the son of Mcardle-Western Sahara, who was supplemented to the Progress Pace for $25,000. The win improved the colt’s sophomore record to 12-5-4 from 23 starts. The 15-time winner, who was sent off as the 3-5 favourite, upped his seasonal earnings to $1,482,447 while his lifetime total climbed to $1,662,064.
The sub-1:50 score was the 10th of the career of the pacer who has stamped himself as a leading candidate for year-end honours in his division both north and south of the border.
Two races earlier, Mike White’s Sonofa Sizzle, bred by Delawareans Charles and Diana Coursey, came on strongly for Miller in the $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund final for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
Remember Me VK with Montrell Teague in the bike, had carved out a 1:51.4 DSBF all-time fastest mile a week ago in a prelim, and this week led from the start with fast fractions until the field turned down the homestretch. Sonofa Sizzle came from way back on the outside to rush to the front-end victory in 1:52.1. Roddys Hot Again (George Dennis) came on to finish second with Smoking Joey (Corey Callahan) taking home third prize.
A son of Life Sizzles-JK Lady Like, Sonofa Sizzle won for the fourth time this season in 10 starts with three seconds and a third. The Gary Green-trainee has now won $115,516.
(With files from Dover Downs)