Dover, DE — Off the strength of a 1:52.2 win in the second preliminary round, Captain Pete capped a sweep of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund (DSBF) series for 3-year-old male pacers with a 1:52.4 win over Beat Cop in Thursday’s (Dec. 19) $110,000 series championship at Bally’s Dover.
In line to Allan Davis, Captain Pete asserted himself to force Beat Cop (driven by Tim Tetrick) into the pocket amid a :26.3 first-quarter duel. The pair traveled one-two through a :56 half before Lovenbury (Troy Beyer), who was bothered by a breaking Boris Badenov on the first turn, began a long first-over advance out of fifth to press the pace midway up the backstretch.
Captain Pete held his ground through the far turn and, after parrying Lovenbury’s challenge, dug in through the stretch to keep pocket rival Beat Cop a neck at bay at the winning post. LL Julio (Cody Poliseno) finished third, beaten 1-1/2 lengths, after saving ground behind the top pair.
Jason Johnson trains Captain Pete, an 11-time winner with $184,382 in career earnings from 17 starts, for Mulligan Stables, Calcutta Stable and Denise Davis. As the 1-5 favorite, the Roddy’s Bags Again-Capitana gelding paid $2.60 to win.
The $20,000 DSBF consolation saw Bryan Truitt Jr.’s Rowdy Dragon spring a 14-1 upset, clearing from post seven through a :27.2 first quarter before yielding to 1-9 favorite Papas Son and emerging at the top of the stretch to overpower the pacesetter by a widening 1-1/2 lengths in 1:55.1. Russell Foster drove the Roddy’s Bags Again-Delightful Play gelding, who paid $30.40 to win, for trainer Bryan Truitt.