Missile J got back to the winner’s circle after a powerful stretch burst to score a 1:50 victory in Thursday’s $30,000 Preferred Pace at Dover Downs.
Last week’s feature winner Sicily took the lead at the start for Montrell Teague and led thought-out approaching the finish line when Tetrick moved four wide on the final turn with Missile J and zoomed past in the closing strides to win by three-quarters of a length. Sicily was second with Major Uptrend and Tony Morgan third.
Trained by Scott DiDomenico for John McGill and Brian Carsey, the five-year-old American Ideal-Cantors Daughter gelding notched his third win of 2018 in six starts. He now has 19 lifetime successes while earning $683,827 in his career.
The biggest upset came in the last race when 29-1 Ponderingjacksfame roared home for a 1:51.3 lifetime best to win for the second straight start in a $18,000 Winners pace. A 76-1 shot Aint It Fun (Art Stafford, Jr.) came on for second to set up a $718.80 exacta with another longshot 35-1 Cash Is King (Jonathan Roberts) third.
Tom Lazzaro’s Never Say Never N, trained by Dylan Davis, closed with a rush to win the $14,000 Winners-Over pace in 1:51. Downthehighway (Vic Kirby) was runner-up. Race favourite JJ Flynn (Tetrick) had to accept third ending a two-race win streak. The winner is a five-year-old Bettors Delight –Maid In Splendor horse who won for the third time this year. He has won $153,928 in his career.
In another $14,000 division, Sweet Rock took control the start with Vic Kirby in the bike and was in front the rest of the way in 1:50.4 for his second win of the year, 22nd lifetime while banking $597,342. Wayne Givens trains the Rocknroll Hanover Penn For Nickel gelding for owners Gary Calloway, Reggie Hazzard and Legacy Racing. Highalator (Roger Plante), one of the four-year-olds in the field along with Hypothetical (Jonathan Robbers), also four, was third in the nine horse field.
(With files from Dover Downs)