Going Platinum was once again the star of the show on Monday, Dec. 9, at Bally's Dover, proving the fastest of the three divisional winners in the second round of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders' Fund (DSBF) series for three-year-old trotting fillies with a 1:57.3 score in the second $28,169 division.
Driven by Corey Callahan, the E L Platinum-Nitroglide Hanover filly left from the outside post six to secure the pocket behind Lovies Place (Art Stafford Jr.). After stalking fractions of :28.3, 1:00.1 and 1:28.3, Going Platinum angled out of the pocket at the top of the stretch and collared Lovies Place by a neck to record her third consecutive win and the 12th of her career. FD Pure Platinum (Justin Parker) finished third after making a sustained first-over push up the backstretch.
Going Platinum, who is trained by Nick Callahan and owned by Breakaway Racing, paid $3.40 to win as the 3-5 favourite.
The third division also yielded a repeat winner, as Platinum Proposal and driver Jim Morand rolled to a 5-1/4-length victory over Marinos Prize (Ross Wolfenden) and Royal Robin (Anthony Morgan), covering the mile in a lifetime best 1:57.4. Les Givens trains the E L Platinum-SJs Proposal filly, who paid $2.20 to win, for Nanticoke Racing and Delbert Cain.
Daburg kicked off the DSBF proceedings with a 1:59 win in the first division, which was conducted as a non-wagering event. The Anders Bluestone-Comical Dream filly rode the pocket before emerging in the upper stretch to defeat Platinum Blue (Allan Davis) and Rip Away (Cody Poliseno) by a widening 2-1/2 lengths. Tony Morgan drove for trainer George Polk Jr. and owner Calvin Hoover.
With their victories, Going Platinum, Platinum Proposal and Daburg have all secured spots in the $110,000 USD DSBF series championship, which will be contested on Dec. 16. Joining them in the final are Chinco Mayo, Lovies Place, Marinos Prize, FD Pure Platinum and Platinum Blue.
Live racing resumes at Bally’s Dover on Tuesday, Dec. 10, as the sophomore male trotters will square off in a pair of $20,000 USD second-round DSBF divisions. The first post for the 15-race card is slated for 4:30 p.m.
(With files from Bally's Dover)