Use Your Noodle and Delle Donne came through with impressive victories in their respective $20,000 divisions of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund for three-year-old filly pacers Tuesday at Dover Downs.
Jim Morand made good use of a two-hole trip with Use Your Noodle to overtake race-favourite Apple Bottom Jeans (Montrell Teague) in deep stretch to score a 1:52.3 lifetime mark in the first $20,000 prelim. The win was the second straight for the Artzina-Lo Gophobia sophomore beating the DSBF freshman champion. Eternal Ring (Jonathan Roberts) has been racing well but had to accept a third-place finish.
Use Your Noodle is trained by Les Givens for owners Feeney, Johnson, Faragalli III and Nanticoke Racing.
Delle Donne and Corey Callahan made up for a disappointing second last week by chalking up a 1:54.3 victory, also a new personal mark, coming from post 8 and on the mid-backstretch went four-wide to get the lead and pull off to a convincing victory. Fiftyshadesofrusty (George Dennis) cut out all the fraction until Della Donne flew by in the stretch to victory. Rowdy Patti (Tony Morgan) picked up third money.
The Dylan Davis-trainee won for the fourth time this year in five starts for Brit Evans, Tina Clark and Foulk Stables who own the Art Director-Chloes Silver Star filly.
The top eight point-getters return next Tuesday for one of a weeklong cavalcade of $100,000 DSBF finals.
Fashion Showdown, who finished February and began March with powerful Mare Open wins, returned to the winner’s circle after Corey Callahan raced behind leader Empress Deo (Allan Davis) collared the leader nearing the finish line and scored a 1:52 victory for Chris White, her fifth success of the year. Paradise Lost (Vic Kirby) finished third with Sage N (Tim Tetrick) and Sassa Hanover (Morand) out-of-the money.
Craig McInnis conditions the Village Jolt-Catch The Show six-year-old who now has banked $63,480 this year and $218,885 lifetime on 19 wins.
(With files from Dover Downs)