The Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund kicked off its preliminaries for sophomores on Monday with three $20,000 filly pace divisions with two favourites and a longshot posting wins. Meanwhile, Jeremes Sweetheart got back in the win column in the $20,000 Mares Open Handicap on March 24 at Dover Downs.
Seboomook Boo Yah, winner of last Fall’s $100,000 freshman final, returned in top form in her first start of the year. Allan Davis guided the Garnet O’Marrow homebred daughter of Gamblers Dream-Seboomook Mao to a 1:55.3 win, overtaking front-pacing Fashion Guru (Ben Stafford Jr.) in the dash to the finish line. Wayne Givens conditions the filly, who now has won eight of 11 starts with two thirds and $120,286 in purses.
Im Won Rum Wiser was the other favourite to win her seasonal debut. The $100,000 Harrington Final winner notched a 1:57 success in her $20,000 DSBF prelim with trainer George Dennis in the bike. The Headmaster-La Gloria Cubana filly won for the sixth time in nine starts (all in the money). The Wiz Kinds Stable and breeders George and Tina Dennis own the career winner of $112,150. Bettylou Who (Bret Brittingham) slipped along the passing lane to finish second in front of Mommoms Little C (Jonathan Roberts) third.
The lone upset came when the Steve LeBlanc-trained Reflected Art pulled a 24-1 surprise in the other $20,000 prelim. Driven by Ross Wolfenden, Reflected Art roared past race favourite Jonigold (Bart Dalious) heading to the three-quarters and sped away to a 1:54.4 lifetime mark. Megginspin (Ron Piece) closed along the passing lane to finish second with Jonigold taking third-place. The victory was the first of the year and second lifetime for Reflected Art, a daughter of Artzina-Queen Jodi owned by Winbak Farm and LeBlanc Racing.
In the $20,000 Mares Open Handicap, Jeremes Sweetheart raced second until the final step when she nosed past Spend It All for a 1:51.4 triumph. Ron Pierce drove the Jeremes Jet-Fox Valley Evanna five-year-old, stalking Spend It All (Jim Morand) from the start until the stretch and then ducking to the inside and rushing by for her third victory in 2014. She has only finished out of the money once in nine races. Ken Wood, Bill Dittmar and Steve Iaquinta own Jeremes Sweetheart, a $46,320 earner this year and $310,712 career winner. The greatly improved Paradise Lost (Ross Wolfenden) was only a head back in third.
Pierce and Davis led all drivers with three wins apiece. Tim Tetrick, Montrell Teague and owner/trainer Trish Foulk added two wins each.
On Tuesday, March 25, two $20,000 divisions of DSBF Three-Year-Old Filly Pace first prelim divisions top the 15-race card.
(With files from Dover Downs)