The steady going pacer Mystical Valentine delivered a seamless 1:52.3 performance while winning Saturday night’s $10,000 featured Open-1 Handicap Pace at Vernon Downs
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Frank Milby, steering for trainer Dave Dewhurst, sent Mystical Valentine ($6.90) to the front from the word “go” and kept the five-year-old bay gelding in command through splits of :27.1, :57.2 and 1:26 en route to a one and a half length tally.
It was the second score in succession and the fourth at the 21-program meeting for the son of Dream Work-Sneakheravalentine, who is owned by New York's Philip Hale. The strong showing tied the career winner of 19 races and $282,277 at four with fellow sidewheelers Rosa Villa and Johnny Midnight for most equine tallies at the Downs thus far in 2011.
Milby and Dewhurst each earned doubles during the 11-race program, as they also got a first-place finish from the pacer What It Means (owned by the trainer and Hale) in Saturday’s seventh session. What It Means also won in the exact same time as his stablemate, 1:52.3, which turned out to be the fastest miles of the evening.
Other drivers picking up twin tallies during the program were Frank Davis (the pacers Lightning Prince and Arts Image), Chris Lems (the pacers Johnny Midnight and Banocariza) and Jimmy Whittemore (the pacers Shu Fu and Glen B).
(Vernon Downs)