Matt Kakaley entered Monday’s 15-race program at Dover Downs needing just a single victory to join the 2,000-win club, and a win in the opener allowed the reinsman to accomplish the feat right off the hop
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Twenty-three-year-old Kakaley became the youngest driver in harness history to win 2,000 races after guiding Howard Taylor’s We The People to an impressive tally in the opener. The former record-holder in the race to 2,000 wins was Tim Tetrick, who was 24 at the time.
In other Monday action, Ron Pierce drove Ise The Boy Boy to victory in the $30,000 Preferred Handicap. After scoring in a Winners-Over two weeks ago and an Open last Monday, Ise The By Boy picked up a lifetime record 1:50.3 besting Mainland Key N, driven by Tim Tetrick and fast-finishing Delivered From Zin with Corey Callahan. Eric Ell conditions the Mach Three-Price Lee Fiesta gelding for Ken Wood, Bill Dittmar and Steve Iaquinta.
After racing on the outside from after the half, Nova Artist chopped down front-pacing Cams Art (Tim Tetrick) in the closing strides en route to a 1:50.1 triumph in the $30,000 Delaware Special Handicap. Nova Artist is an all Davis family five-year-old by Real Artist-Avon Elegant Osborne, owned by Eddie and Kathy Davis, trained and driven by their sons Martin and Allan Davis. The 1:50.1 clocking equals Nova Artist’s career best. Catchmecullen A (Tim Curtin) finished third.
In the $23,000 Open pace, meet leading driver Corey Callahan steered Louie Paglierani’s Lous Bad Yankee to victory in 1:51.1, win number three in his last four and five of his last seven outings. The Badlands Hanover-Yankee Vista gelding was chased home by Samandar (Tim Tetrick) and Fancyfreeshark (Jon Roberts), second and third respectively.
(Dover Downs)