Terror At Night caught front-pacing Nerida Franco N in the final stride to win the last $30,000 Mares Open Handicap feature of the meet on Wednesday (March 28) at Dover Downs.
Driver Mike Cole pulled Terror At Night out of third and followed Apple Bottom Jeans on the outside before moving three-wide turning for home. Cole hustled the Western Terror-Enhance The Night five-year-old down the lane just in time to catch Nerida Franco N (Allan Davis) in the 1:50.4 event, equaling her lifetime mark. The victory was her fourth of the year with a second in nine races. Terror At Night now has won $50,800 in 2018 and 19 races lifetime and $293,701 in her career.
Divas Image (Tim Tetrick) closed strongly to finish third.
Stormtracker and Tetrick made good use of post 1, scoring a front-end 1:52 triumph in a $22,000 conditioned pace. It was the Big Jim-Stonebridge Breeze mare’s fourth win of the year with two seconds in six starts for trainer Linda Toscano and owners John Mehlenbacher, Enviro Stables, Camelot Stable and The Bay’s Stable. Shesarocker (Vic Kirby) was the place finisher with Legio X Equestris (Montrell Teague) third.
Use Your Noodle (Kirby), trained by Les Givens, was at the top of her game as well, notching a 1:51.1 wire-to-wire conquest in a $16,000 mares winners-over pace for the partnership of Faragalli, Feeney, Johnson and Nanticoke Racing. A five-year-old daughter of Artzina-Lo Gophobia, she bested Fashion Showdown (Morgan), second, and Hold It Hanover (Eddie Davis Jr.), third, to the finish line. Use Your Noodle has now won 16 times in her career and has banked $249,440.
Tim Tetrick guided Hutt Racing Stable’s Snappy Dresser, conditioned by Josh Green, to victory in a $15,000 female pace, giving her a third win in her last four efforts. Gypsy Rose (Teague) and Said It Best (Callahan) were second and third respectively.
There were two $15,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) three-year-old consolations. Trainer-driver Jeff Fout drove both winners owned by Bay Pond Racing. America First, a Roddys Bags Again-PH Diagnosis colt won the colt consolation in 1:54.3 trailed by Friends Forever (Cole) and Foxbriar Romeo (A. Davis). The filly consolation went to Peak Of Chic, a Roddys Bags Again-Fit N Bad daughter in 1:55. Whistlers Sister (A. Davis) was second; River Dreams (Cole) was third.
On Thursday, an outstanding final day of the meet offers a 14-race card, led by four $100,000 DSBF Finals and $40,000 Preferred Pace and the presentation of the Horse of the Meet, Leading Driver and Leading Trainer honours.
Two drivers had triples on the Wednesday card: Tim Tetrick, who had five wins the first two nights of the week, added a three-bagger, as did Tony Morgan. Art Stafford Jr. had a double, as did trainer Les Givens and Nanticoke Racing. Trainer Jeff Fout, a former standout driver in Ohio, won both ends of the daily double for owners Bay Pond Stable.
(Dover Downs)