Chapheart, driven by Pat Berry, proved he had the heart of a lion as he was parked the entire mile and still triumphed in the $27,536 Winners Over Select Trot at Bally’s Dover on Tuesday, March 4.
Sparks flew early as four trotters battled for the lead right out of the gate. The 4-5 betting favourite, Rivers (Corey Callahan), was on a mission, parking out Big Daddy D (Cody Poliseno), Chapheart, and Inaminute Hanover (Russell Foster) as they trotted toward the first turn. Inaminute Hanover eventually retreated to fourth along the pylons. Big Daddy D and Chapheart continued their duel, parked out, while Rivers held a narrow lead, marching to the opening quarter in :26.4.
Rivers and Big Daddy D were locked in a private battle as Big Daddy D remained parked out, with Chapheart also parked but benefitting from cover. Rivers faced constant pressure, reaching the half in :56.3. He continued to lead down the backstretch, but the early fractions took a toll on Big Daddy D, who began to fade. Chapheart circled three wide around him, while Inaminute Hanover protected the rail position. Mickey Muscles (Ross Wolfenden) followed second over, with Muscledover (Troy Beyer) trailing third over and parked out.
As they reached the three-quarter mark in 1:26, Rivers and Chapheart were eye-to-eye, battling stride for stride. In mid-stretch, Chapheart wore down Rivers, eventually winning by three-quarters of a length in 1:55.1. He paid $17.20 for the win.
Inaminute Hanover finished second, while Muscledover closed for third.
Chapheart, a six-year-old son of Chapter Seven out of Hip To My Heart, is trained by Dylan Davis, who co-owns with Michael Casalino Jr. of Freehold, N.J.
Looking ahead to the Wednesday, March 5 afternoon card, Ludacrous A will look for a winning three-peat in the $16,000 USD conditioned event for pacing mares.
Bally’s Dover races Monday through Thursday with a post time of 4:30 p.m.
(With files from Bally’s Dover)