On a card highlighted by three $20,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) preliminaries for three-year-old filly trotters, driver Tony Morgan inched closer to harness racing history.
Morgan picked up three wins, including a consecutive double, to reach 14,995 career winning drives. He'll be just the third driver to achieve the feat on North American soil, joining legends Dave Palone and Herve Filion.
I Got Spunk kicked off the Delaware stakes with an impressive victory in the first division. Corey Callahan sat second behind Cuddle Punk cutting out the mile until reaching the homestretch when I Got Spunk eased to the lead and drew away for a lifetime best 1:58.1 score. It was the second in two starts for owner-trainer Leigh Raymer and fourth in 10 starts with two seconds and two thirds for the Super Punk- Gogetitdun filly. She has won $60,205 lifetime. My Fire Cloud (Eddie Davis Jr.) closed well to take second with Cuddle Punk (Allan Davis) third.
In the second $20,000 DSBF section, Dancing Shirley posted a 2:00 triumph, the first career win for the Beatrix In Der Wiesche-owned homebred. Ryan McInnis trains the Giant Hit - Eagle Score sophomore, who driven by George Dennis. Silence Is Bliss (Eddie Davis Jr) was second. Mila Bella (Allan Davis) was the show finisher.
The third split was the slowest of the three, but the most exciting. Carlo Poliseno and Foulk Stable’s Penny Paratrooper, the prohibitive favourite, and Callmemza (pronouned:Call-Me-Miz-A) finished in a 2:01 dead-heat in the third DSBF prelim. Jonathan Roberts stalked Penny Paratrooper with Callmemza from the start then came on in the final step to tie for the victory. The two leading money winners in this division at two each added to their career earnings with the win. Penny Paratrooper, a CR Commando-CR Penny Lane filly, notched a sixth win in seven starts good for $119,500 and Callmemza, a Great George Two-Endorphan Anne daughter, is now five for nine with $115,221 banked lifetime for Bib Roberts, Graham Grace and M&W stables. Sign N Drive (Corey Braden) was third.
The second DSBF leg for filly trotters is set for next Monday. The top eight finishers qualify for a $100,000 final on April 6. The first DSBF leg for colt and gelding trotters is set for two $20,000 divisions on Tuesday plus a $20.000-$30,000 Claiming Handicap.
(with files from Dover)