Logans Girl won her second straight $20,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) Three-Year-Old preliminary pace while 40-1 Lunar Phase upset odds-on favourite Spanish Dream in the second of four divisions at Dover Downs on Tuesday, April 4. Enhance Your Mind, one of five winners for Tony Morgan, won the $20,000 Mares Open.
JoAnn Looney-King’s Logans Girl made it two-in-a-row in DSBF prelims, three straight overall and 10 wins in 12 lifetime starts in her career. Vic Kirby drove the Roddys Bags Again-All Italian filly to a 1:54 front-end victory for trainer Jim King. Cashmeres Delight (Jim Morand) came out fast for a brief early lead before Logans Girl took over. The $167,840 lifetime winner was followed by Cashmeres Delight and Westwind Roddylee (Tim Tetrick).
Lunar Phase raced from behind with Art Stafford Jr. as Spanish Dream (Kirby) took the lead. Stafford moved Lunar Phase from off the pace into contention on the final turn. It was a two-horse battle down the lane with Lunar Phase getting up at the wire in 1:53.3 by half a length. The winning time was a new lifetime mark for the Roddys Bags Again-Blue Moon Artist bay owned by Stafford and Wyatt Starkey. It was her first win this year in her third start. I Won Them Both (Montrell Teague) closed well to finish third.
Tony Morgan won the first of his five-bagger in the third $20,000 DSBF section steering Green Valley Training’s A Lady Sizzling home in 1:54.1 to best Renegade Hussie (Allan Davis) and So Many Friends (George Dennis) by more than nine lengths. Race favourite Lillisbagsrpacked (Kirby) finished fourth. The Life Sizzles-Another Lady filly is trained by Brian Armour.
Bad Mama was good for Montrell Teague, chalking up a 1:55 triumph in the final $20,000 DSBF filly pace. Owned by George Teague, the Clyde Francis-conditioned daughter of Badlands Nitro-Moms Bella won her second straight prelim and third in four races this campaign. Diva Demands (Corey Callahan) was a strong second in front of Giga Spin (Davis).
The top eight point-getters after the two prelim divisions return next Tuesday for a $100,000 DSBF Final.
On the regular program, owner/trainer Bryan Truitt’s Enhance Your Mind got back in the winner’s column overtaking pacesetting Apple Bottom Jeans (Teague) in a :27.1 final quarter head-to-head duel. The 1:51.2 victory was the third of five for Tony Morgan. Barbaras Shadow (Kirby) stepped up in class and was third.
The Wednesday card features two $20,000 DSBF Filly prelims and a $15,000 trot starring Celebrity Pegasus, Hollywood Highway and Streamsong.
(With files from Dover Downs)