The First State’s top locally-bred two-year-olds will battle in four $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) finals on Wednesday (Oct. 7) at Harrington Raceway.
Big Al M, pictured in victory.
The male trotters will kick off the four-legged freshmen party in the first race on the 12-dash program. Bobby Myers’ Big Al M (3-2, Eddie Davis Jr.) was the fastest elimination winner and figures to be the one to beat for trainer Eric Davis. The Anders Bluestone gelding would have swept his eliminations, but was placed second for a pylon violation after hitting the wire first in his first elimination. A familiar rival, Don and David Wiest’s Rhett (7-5, Tony Morgan) also recorded a win and a second-place finish in his eliminations and is the primary competition.
Trotting fillies will head postward in the third race, which is the second leg of the Pick 4 (Races 2 through 5). A wide open group awaits the starting gate, as there will be four different elimination winners in the field. Ed Kimmel, Don and David Wiest’s Azurine (2/1, Tony Morgan), Harry Marsh Jr.’s Designer’s Edge (5/2, William Long), Thestable Jazzy Juddy Grp’s Jazzy Judy (5/1, Victor Kirby) and Providence West’s Toni Lee (15/1, Kim Vincent) each won respective eliminations.
The final leg of the Pick 4 sequence will see pacing fillies battle in the fifth race. A matchup between two dominant fillies who swept their eliminations awaits, as Jo Ann Looney-King’s Stealing Bases (9-5, Kirby) and Eli Beiler, Clint Crellin and Elam Esh’s Cinder Baby (2-1, Art Stafford Jr.) will square off for the first time. Stealing Bases, a Roddys Bags Again filly trained by Jim King Jr., won both of her eliminations via off-the-pace rallies, while Rockabillie-sired Cinders Baby disposed of her rivals by a combined seven lengths in her two eliminations with front-end romps. Cinders Baby is trained by her driver, Art Stafford Jr. Cinders Baby is a full sister to three-year-old Cinder Rock (Rockabillie-Cinderella), who won DSBF final events at two and three and has won 8 of 10 career starts for trainer Wayne Givens.
The male pacers will be featured in the sixth race, and Leonard Hubbard’s Zs Dream (9-5, Stafford) is clearly the one to beat after two decisive elimination wins. He will face a competitive group that includes elimination winners Subban (3-1, Montrell Teague), owned by MST Racing and George Teague, and Jo Ann Looney-King’s Syndergaard (7-1, Kirby).
The Wednesday program also includes four $15,000 DSBF consolation events.
Post time for the card is at 4:30 p.m.
(Harrington Raceway)