After scoring first-round wins last week, Yall Keep Dreaming and Brooksforreal prevailed again as the odds-on favourites in their respective $13,514 Maryland Sire Stakes preliminaries for two-year-old colts and geldings on Sunday, Aug. 25 at Ocean Downs.
Sent off as the 1-10 choice in the lone trotting division, Yall Keep Dreaming (pictured above) and driver Johnathan Ahle accepted a pocket trip behind Magoo Will Do through splits of :30.3, 1:02 and 1:33.1 before emerging off the far turn and striding clear to win by 2-3/4 lengths in 2:03. Swervingmervin was third.
Yall Keep Dreaming, a Yall Beneath Me-Upside Blue Chip colt who competes as a homebred for owner/trainer Richard Hans, is now a perfect three-for-three in his career. He paid $2.20 to win.
Brooksforreal ($3), a Rustys For Real-Brooks Range gelding driven by Corey Braden for trainer John Wagner and owner Kelsey Wagner, likewise rode the pocket to victory in the first division for male pacers, drafting behind Rustys Lancelot before lifting to win by a nose in 1:58.1. Whosabrat finished third.
John and Kelsey Wagner completed a sweep of the pacing splits in the second division when More Medhurst ($4.40) was elevated to a 1:59 victory after Classic Cougar, with whom he duelled in the stretch, broke stride and was lapped on at the finish. Trae Porter drove the More The Better N-Docs Ravenna gelding to his maiden-breaking score.
In the $16,216 Open Handicap Pace, Bipbopnallie ($10.80) brushed from third to the lead up the backstretch and held off a late challenge from runner-up Lyons Stealth to win by a half length in 1:52.2. Porter drove the seven-year-old Artspeak gelding for trainer Steve LeBlanc and the partnership of LeBlanc Racing, Count De Money Stable and William Lutz Jr.
Porter led all drivers with four wins on the 12-race card while Ahle and Braden both recorded doubles.
Live harness racing returns to Ocean Downs on Wednesday, Aug. 28. First post is 7:05 p.m.
(Ocean Downs)