Fruit Snacker benefitted from a pocket trip and captured the $24,324 Winners Over Trot at Bally’s Dover on Tuesday, Feb. 3 over a track listed as good.
It was a mad scramble for the early lead as Fruit Snacker (Tony Morgan), Victor Laszlo (Eric Davis), Indy Be Quick (Russell Foster), Inter Mischief (Trae Porter) and favourite Saint K (Tim Tetrick) all left out. The latter three dropped back and took seats while Fruit Snacker parked out Victor Laszlo through an opening quarter in a wicked :27.1. A hard-used Victor Laszlo finally cleared to the lead in front of the stands and sprinted to the half in :55.4. Inter Mischief raced first-over up the backstretch and carried Dyladmar (Art Stafford Jr.) second-over while Fruit Snacker sat the pocket.
Victor Laszlo continued on the lead to three-quarters in 1:24.3 with Inter Mischief forging ahead with his first-over move. A squadron of trotters were on the attack entering the top of the stretch, but Fruit Snacker shot through along the pylons and cruised to a length victory in 1:54.4. Indy Be Quick finished second, and Inter Mischief was third.
Fruit Snacker, a four-year-old son of Dover Dan-First Avenue, is now 13-for-30 lifetime. Willard Reynolds trains the gelding for Mark Howard of Federalsburg, Md. The win price was $8.40.
Driver Allan Davis celebrated his 50th birthday during the card.
There is a Superfecta carryover worth $1,318, a Pick 5 carryover of $1,588, and a Pick 3 carryover of $602 into Wednesday's card. The featured event is the 12th-race $25,000 USD Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace. Factory Girl, who won her last start, takes on the likes of Ballast and Jett Propelled.
(With files from Dover Downs)