November 1 will kick off Dover Downs’ ‘Novemberfest of Racing,’ which is a month-long parade of outstanding stakes races.
The track’s signature event is the 20th renewal of the $350,000 (estimated) Progress Pace, which was recently renamed the ‘Hap Hansen Progress Pace’ to honour one of the sport’s and Delaware’s most renowned administrators, W.E.Hap Hansen.
The Matron Stakes, the sport’s longest continual championship series, leads off the Grand Circuit’s treasured events with all four Matron finals for two-year-old colt and filly colts and fillies on the Thursday, November 3 program. The following Thursday (November 10), all four lucrative trots and paces for three-year-olds will be featured.
The $350,000 (est.) Hap Hansen Progress Pace will begin with $35,000 elimination divisions on Monday, November 21 and will culminate with the final the following Monday (November 28). There will also be a $25,000 consolation scheduled on the program.
The Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) stakes for two-year-old filly and colt pacers and trotters will join the Dover Downs 2016 stakes parade during November. The first of two DSBF $20,000 first-leg preliminary legs will begin on Thursday, November 3. Second Leg events are scheduled to follow. The top eight finishers in each division will return for four $100,000 DSBF finals in late November, the 17th through 23rd.
(With files from Dover Downs)