It was a clean sweep in Monday’s $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund finals at Dover Downs for sire Badlands Hanover, who watched Mr Wiggles and Little Bit Tricky capture their respective assignments.
Mr Wiggles, who was sent off at 6-1, powered away from the colts and geldings he squared off with en route to scoring a 1:52 decision for the duo of trainer George Teague, Jr. and driver Corey Callahan.
Everlasting Pride had the lead at the quarter pole in :26.1 before handing the baton to race favourite Rays Big Bubba, who rolled the field to the mid-way point in :55 seconds. Mr Wiggles wasted no time in applying heavy pressure to Rays Big Bubba, and the speedsters butted heads past the three-quarter pole in 1:23.2 before Mr Wiggles started edge away.
A :28.3 final frame was more than enough for Mr Wiggles to seal the deal in a career-best clocking of 1:52. It was more than six lengths back to Rays Big Bubba, who had to settle for the runner-up award. Al Ibad Spider grabbed the show dough.
Elmer Fannin and George Teague Jr. Inc. of Delaware share ownership on the colt, who has put together a 2-1-0 record in his first three starts of the 2009 campaign. The lion’s share of the $100,000 purse lifted his career bankroll to $119,250.
Little Bit Tricky and driver Eric Goodell needed every inch of the racetrack to post a 1:54.2 victory in the $100,000 DSBF final for the three-year-old pacing fillies. The Josh Green trainee turned a two-hole trip into a $50,000 payday for the partnership of Green Racing Inc., James Outten and William Brent Outten.
The homebred stalked pacesetter Rustys Joy through splits of :27.3, :57 and 1:25.2 before joining that foe and Honey in a thrilling stretch battle. Rustys Joy weakened in the late stages and faded to finish third, but Honey was dead game and wound up finishing just a head behind Little Bit Tricky in the 1:54.2 decision.
Sent off as the 2-1 favourite, Little Bit Tricky notched her second win of the season and the sixth win of her career while bumping her overall earnings to $107,400.