Three resounding victories, by Purrfect Bags, Totally Rusty and Gigi Deo, highlighted $20,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) Three-Year-Old Filly Pace preliminaries on Wednesday, March 25 at Dover Downs.
Purrfect Bags led off the DSBF action scoring a convincing 1:52.3 victory in the first $20,000 prelim, finishing off her mile with a :27.1 final quarter to hold off Love Forbidden (Tim Tetrick) by half a length, with Fearless Chance (John MacKinnon) a farther back third. Driver Vic Kirby took Purrfect Bags three-wide to take the lead in front of the grandstand and the final outcome was never in doubt. Jim King trains the Roddys Bags Again-Purrfectly Bad filly for his wife, owner JoAnn King. The win gives Purrfect Bags a record of eight wins and a second in nine starts and $136,750 in earnings.
Totally Rusty was equally as impressive in a 1:53.1 conquest in her $20,000 division. Corey Callahan took the Carter Racing Stable homebred, trained by Doug Lewis, right to the lead and never looked back, racking up her ninth win to go along with a second in 10 starts. Al "Rusty" Carter owns the stallion, Rustys For Real, and dam, Rustys Joy. Totally Rusty is the only foal from the sire. Spin Vision (Allan Davis), no shirker herself, a five-time winner in overnight races this year, was second-best. Brians Thunder (Jim Moran) was third.
The third DSBF division was just as easy for Gigi Deo, a 1:54 winner for driver Ross Wolfenden, trainer Aaron Lambert and owners J&T Silva, C&G Racing stables and Deo Volente Farms. The Riggins-See And Be Seen filly won for the fifth time in 10 outings, and also has three seconds and two thirds with winnings totalling $115,300. Little Sandyloam (Jason Thompson), at 87-1, finished second, with Cedar Hall Heiress (George Dennis) third.
The $20,000 second leg DSBF events are scheduled for next Wednesday.
Tim Tetrick and trainer Jim King collaborated as Swish, owned by CC Racing, won the $14,000 Winners Over feature trot. Swish won for the second straight time, holding off fast-finishing Spunky Jack (Roger Plante) closing along the passing lane and I Like My Boss (Jonathan Roberts).
Morgan won one race and now needs two more to reach the 15,000 career win milestone mark.
Tetrick and meet leader Corey Callahan completed the program with four wins each. Vic Kirby, Ross Wolfenden and trainer Jim King had doubles.
Three $20,000 DSBF three-year-old male paces complete first leg preliminaries Thursday, with a $20,000 pace headlining the regular card.
(With files from Dover Downs)