Downers Delight went wire-to-wire in the fog to overcome an outside draw and defeat the best pacers on the grounds at Bally’s Dover for the second week in a row in the $34,247 Open Handicap Pace on Thursday, March 5.
Downers Delight and driver Pat Berry launched from post eight and cleared to the lead easily, flying through the first panel in :25.2. Wehadababyetzaboy (Art Stafford Jr.) was unable to find a seat in the first quarter and remained parked the mile. With that rival to his outside, Downers Delight rolled to the half in :54.1.
Downers Delight rumbled up the backstretch, leading the field to the three-quarters in 1:22.1. Wehadababyetzaboy began to weaken on the outside at that point, and Tack Room Chatter (Troy Beyer) circled wide with Itsrockandroll A (Russell Foster) sitting the pocket. Itsrockandroll A pursued Downers Delight down the stretch, but the 4-5 favourite held him off by a half-length for the victory in 1:49.4. Hundred Dollar Man (Montrell Teague) was third.
Downers Delight scored his second straight win in the Open for trainer Traci Berry and owner TLB Racing LLC. The eight-year-old Bettors Delight-Astrmowin gelding is four-for-seven on the year, upping his lifetime tally to 28 wins in 118 appearances. He paid $3.60 to win.
“I know he is capable of a big mile," Pat Berry said after the win. "I was a little concerned with Tack Room Chatter and Itsrockandroll A closing fast on me, but he dug in.”
Trainer Chuck Crissman Jr. tripled on the 13-race card with a natural hat trick in races seven through nine. He won with Alabamajamma ($4.80), Renaissance Deo ($3.80) and Iwannabewithyou ($2.80), the latter taking his third straight win. Crissman is 28-for-135 so far this year, a win rate of 20.7 per cent.
Tim Tetrick drove all three Crissman winners and won the finale with Perfect Wager to complete a four-bagger.
(With files from Dover Downs)