Richest Governor’s Day card to date set for Thursday

by Matt Sparacino, publicity director, Harrington Raceway

Harrington, DE — A 12-race program featuring four $110,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund final events for 3-year-olds will be contested on the annual Governor’s Day program during the Delaware State Fair on Thursday, July 26, at Harrington Raceway.

There will be more than $600,000 in purses on the program — the most in track history — which gets underway with a special early post time of 11:00 a.m. Governor’s Day is hosted annually as the second Thursday during the state fair, and honors the Governor’s annual presence not only at the races, but at various events throughout the day on the fairgrounds. The day as a whole showcases the top Delaware owned and/or bred Standardbreds.

The DSBF finals for pacers will be the first two races on the card, beginning with the colts and geldings. Trevor Warwick and Peter George’s Mr Aviator (Kevin Sizer, 5-2) swept both of his eliminations and was installed as the morning line favorite. He faces strong threats from the other elim winners Skeleton Key (Tim Tetrick, 3-1) and Mountain Air (Tony Morgan, 5-1), as well as early season champ Be Bad Bill (Ross Wolfenden, 4-1).

In the filly division, Winbak Farm, and John and Earl Wagner’s Double Flip (Morgan, 2-1) will bid for her sixth win in seven starts this year from post four, while fellow elim winner Love And Truth (7-2, Tetrick) will start from the outside post seven.

In the trotting events for sophomores, Tetrick will have the driving assignment on both early favorites, which include talented filly Twilight Mist (5-2), owned by the Mist Stable, and Fred Brunner and Layhoon Brunner’s Swissonian (8-5), who has been a standout among the colts.

Also on the program are some stellar events for older horses, including the $40,000 Governor’s Cup (older pacers), $30,000 Legislator’s Cup (older pacing mares), and $30,000 Delaware Park (older trotters).

The Wiz Kids Stable’s Tarver Hanover (George Brennan, 5-2) heads a group of eight in the Governor’s Cup, whose namesake, Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner, will be on hand to present the trophy to the winning connections.

“Tarver,” a 6-year-old Ball And Chain stallion, has campaigned all over New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey this year, and will make his first start this season in Delaware for trainer Roy Dinges. He’s banked just shy of $100,000 in 2007.

Lloyd Arnold’s Redford Hall (Morgan, 3-1), Arty Foster, Jr.’s Village Blitz (Tetrick, 4-1) and Johnny Waite’s Noble Tess (Brandon Givens, 8-1) are the only horses in the field with multiple wins over the track this year. Erika Paradee, Mike Zimmerman, and John Paradee’s Beware Beret (Ray Fisher, Jr., 5-1), Kovach Stables’ Art Director (Victor Kirby, 6-1), Foulk Stables’ Diamonds Revenge (David Miller, 12-1) and Bonnie Allen and Brenda Harper’s Price Of Luck (Ross Wolfenden, 10-1) fulfill the field.

Karen Sawyer and Brad Sawyer’s GE’s Jen (Eddie Davis, Jr., 5-2) will bid for a repeat victory in the Legislator’s Cup. The Kevin McDermott trainee drew the rail and her $93,110 earned this year is second in the field to Ricky Pryor and Wendy Crissman’s Poppy Lustre N (Corey Callahan, 4-1), who has earned $142,590.

Joyce Keeler, Kathleen Keeler and Linda Keeler’s Ladyfield (Morgan, 3-1) enters the race fresh off a 1:52 lifetime best triumph at Chester Downs.

Ed Maas III and Howard Paisley’s Bay Express N (Roger Plante, Jr., 5-1), Thomas Ireland and Ron Killen’s Flirtwithedealer (Tetrick, 8-1), Ron Davis’ Lady Best (Miller, 10-1), Paul McDougall and WJ McDougall Racing’s Four Winds N (Wolfenden, 6-1), and Bob and Rhonda Smith’s Mrs Tricky (Mike Cole, 12-1) complete the field.

The Delaware Park is the feature event for older trotters, with the emphasis on the word ‘older.’ Two accomplished 10-year-olds will do battle, Ricky Pryor and Wendy Crissman’s Breeze Hill Will (Tetrick, 5-2) and Andrew Glassmeyer’s Armbro Timothy (Corey Callahan, 6-1). The talented tandem have combined to bank nearly $1 million for their respective connections.

The path to victory won’t likely be an easy one, however, as this year’s field is one of the deepest to date, including last year’s winner, J&E Stable’s Go Nano Go (Davis Jr., 8-1) and three-time winner already this year at Harrington, Paul McDougall and WJ McDougall Racing’s Broke As Usual (Morgan, 3-1). Not to mention the ultra consistent Johnny Peanuts (Carlo Poliseno, 5-1), owned by Tony Poliseno, as well as a trio of top mares, Art Stafford’s Vicki Gram (Art Stafford, Jr., 4-1), Bobby Rementer and Jason Skinner’s Sears Tower (Wolfenden, 12-1) and Delbert Cain’s Go Sassy Go (10-1, George Dennis).

There will also be two $20,000 consolation events for DSBF horses, featured 11th and 12th on the program.

Back to Top

Share via