Author: from the Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund

After a 25-length romp in first-round action, She Is Strong made easy work of her competition once again in the second leg of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund (DSBF) series for 3-year-old trotting fillies at Bally’s Dover, coasting to an easy 1:58 win in her $20,000 preliminary event on Monday (Dec. 4).

Finishing in 12th place in the New York Sire Stakes Excelsior series may not sound all that impressive to the casual observer. However, for small breeders Gary Messenger and Ken Weckstein, it’s the company they keep that sets them apart from the rest.

Art Stafford Jr. swept both $20,000 first-round Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund (DSBF) events for 3-year-old trotting fillies on Monday (Nov. 27) at Bally’s Dover, driving his trainees She Is Strong and Last Nights Hit to victory in their respective divisions.

As the 2023 meet winds down to its final two days, the last top trot of the season was featured at Plainridge Park on Monday afternoon (Nov. 27) and Marquis Lafayette cashed the win check that resulted from his sixth victory of the year in the $25,000 Open trot at The Ridge.

An outstanding night at the office for driver Chris Page as the reinsman scored six driving wins on the Friday, (Nov. 17) card of racing at Dayton Raceway.

Princesa Alta (Sweet Lou – Camille) and driver Marc St. Louis, Jr. took a jaunt up the lightning lane and held off a fast-closing Artistic Cut (Artspeak – Paper Cut) in capturing the $9,500 Open Pace for mares in 1:58.0 Friday (Nov. 17) night at Northville Downs.

The rainy weather seemed to have no restraint on Smoking Jet and Penpaperpaige, who were both Friday (Nov. 17) night Open Pace winners at Dayton Raceway.

The full field of 3-year-olds that went postward in the $17,500 feature race at Plainridge Park on Friday (Nov. 17) was so good, it yielded two winners. Better Option (Jay Randall) and the aptly named Finally Friday (Nick Graffam) finished in a dead heat as four horses hit the line in unison.

When Bruce Ranger finished second with Milliondollarwall in the fifth race at Plainridge Park on Monday afternoon (Nov. 13) he pushed his driving earnings across the $2 million dollar mark for the 2023 meet with nine race days left on the schedule. This is the second time Ranger has achieved that status — having earned $2,009,011 in 2021 — and is the only driver in Plainridge history to achieve that goal. Ranger just missed doing it three years in a row after coming up only $3,013 shy in 2022 ($1,996,897).