There must be something about this time of year that really agrees with pacer Bandolito.
It was April 3, 2014 that Bandolito was a 1:48 winner for trainer-driver Daryl Bier at Dover Downs. Almost one year to the day, the duo once again displayed dazzling speed with a 1:48.1 mile -- the fastest in North America thus far this season regardless of track size.
Daryl Bier sent the Ponder-Sodys Home Brew five-year-old away to a :25.3 opening panel in his $17,000 4&5-Year-Old Open Pace test and closed his mile in :27.2 to record his third win of the campaign. It was his 17th lifetime win, good for $318,785 in purses. Scalped (Monrell Teague) was runner-up. Ballinrobe (Allan Davis) secured third spot.
One race later marked another sub-1:50 performance, a career best 1:49.1 for veteran Jebswesternshake. The 10-year-old altered son of Western Hanover from the standout mare Shake Away was purchased last year by Frank Chick. The veteran began his ascent through the ranks from the $15,000 claiming ranks to a multiple top class winner at Dover Downs. George Dennis took the lead at the start and never was headed in the victory. Just A Jolt (Vic Kirby) closed strongly to finish second with Handsome Henry K (Brett Miller) third.
In stakes action, Sonofa Sizzle and Smoking Joey concluded 1st leg $20,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) Three-Year-Old Male Pace preliminaries.
Vic Kirby drove Sonofa Sizzle to a 1:53.3 victory in the first of two $20,000 DSBF prelims, notching his fifth win in 11 career starts and $125,516 earnings for the Life Sizzles-JK Lady Like colt trained by Josh Green for Floridian Mike White. KJ Ben (Tim Tetrick) finished second in from of Art Season (Allan Davis).
Howard Taylor’s Smoking Joey and Brett Miller took care of the second $20,000 division, scoring a lifetime best 1:53.3 for his sixth lifetime win in nine starts and jacking his career bankroll to $73,750. Doug Lewis conditions to Riggins-You Dont Know Me gelding. Roddys Hot Again (George Dennis) edged Byby Landon (Tetrick) for second.
Next week, all four DSBF sophomore divisions move to the second and final $20,000 leg of prelims. The top eight in each division return the following week for $100,000 finals.
Driver Tony Morgan got to within one win of 15,000 with Mister Truth, and then fell a neck short later in the card. He'll have seven shots at the milestone on Friday afternoon at Harrah's Philadelphia.
(with files from Dover)