by Marv Bachrad, publicity director, Dover Downs

Dover, DE — For the third week in a row, Mike Cole drove Crossfire N to victory in the $27,000 Mares Open Handicap Pace at Dover Downs on Tuesday, March 29. Jenny’s Picnic won the $18,000 sub-feature for Steve Warrington’s third win.

Crossfire N won the Mares Open Handicap for the third straight week.

Crossfire N got away last in the seven distaff field. When Hasty Dewar left for a close-up spot and did not find one, Kevin Sizer took her to the top and cut out the fractions. Mike Cole took Crossfire N out and elected to follow cover until mid-backstretch. Then he moved Crossfire N three wide to blow past the field. From there, last season’s Horse of the Meet coasted home a 1:53 winner for Wendy Crissman and 49 Racing Stables. Ann Other Porsche zoomed home for Steve Warrington to secure second money. House Flight, in her local debut, finished third for Jim Morand.

Crossfire N has now won three, with three seconds and a third in 12 races in 2005, banking $67,130 in purse monies.

Dover Downs Photos

Jenny’s Picnic stormed home in the stretch to win the Mares Winners Over Pace.

In a cavalry charge finish to the $18,000 Mares Winners Over Pace, Steve Warrington, driving Jenny’s Picnic, owned by Don Hawk, John Hynansky and trainer Dan Warrington, found room racing fourth on the rail on the final turn, got out, came to the far outside, and then overtook the fast finishing Jennie’s Fannetta along the passing lane and front-pacing Roses Best (Toby Lynch) in the final strides for a 1:54.1 victory, his third triumph on the card. The win was the third of the year in four starts, with a second, for the Incredible Finale four-year-old.

Seasin, owned, trained and driven by Roger Plante, scored an impressive 1:53.3 victory in a $13,500 pace for females. It was her fourth win in 11 trips with two seconds. She has earned $37,900 this year. Ruthy Ruthless N (Brad Hanners) was second best. Bluebird Wanda (Hal Belote) came on strongly to finish third.

Elmer Fannin’s CR Daddy O, a four-year-old CR Commando horse, won the $13,000 feature trot, giving Eddie Davis, Jr. one of his three wins for the day. Rome Warrior (Vic Kirby) charged from seventh in the stretch to finish second in front of Pretty Goal Vita (Jim King).

A 7-1 shot, Love Lace Mindale, owned by Roberts, Crammer, Rosenstock and trainer Bob Reeser, awoke from a slump to score a 1:54.4 win in an $11,000 pace for distaffs with Steve Warrington handling the reins. My Miss C’s Hero (Brad Hanners) was runner-up with Lucille A (Jim King) third.

Jim Morand won his second of the day, piloting Nick Callahan’s Absolute Best to a 1:54 win in a $20,000 claiming allowance. Bluebird Hi Ho (George Dennis) was second with Painted Arrow (Herve Filion) the third place finisher.

In a $20,000 mares claiming allowance, Rebecca Pitre and trainer-driver Steve Warrington’s Costly Legs took the lead just past the opening quarter and led throughout a 1:55.2 mile, withstanding a challenge from Ellen’s Beach Babe (Jim Morand) on the backstretch before pulling away for the win. Gemini Jeannie (Vic Kirby) sat behind the winner all the way and finished second. River Valley Belle (Frank Milby) was third.

Claiming races to be featured on Wednesday

A pair of $40,000 claiming paces will top the Wednesday, March 30 card at Dover Downs. Post will be at 4:30 p.m.

In the first of the claiming features, nine will start in the 13th race, in which Pat Mitchell and Bill Sculley’s Pacific Challenger, to be driven by Brad Hanners, and Casimir Bad Boy, owned by Tom Beaver, Jim and Dave Clark, and with Hal Belote in the bike, will both be dropping down from the Junior Open ranks. Howard Taylor’s Moon Sign, trained and to be driven by Ed Nickle, had a tough, overland journey last time, but drew the rail this week, and Kevin Lare will drive ANZAC for Curtis Larrimore and Harness the Power, and will leave the gate from the second tier.

Other contenders include Greg Trotto, Rodney Long, and VIP Empire Stable’s Secret Harbor, who will have Vic Kirby driving, Rodney Mitchell’s Swinging Scooter A, with Kevin Sizer aboard, Angelo Papa’s Ruthless Victor N, to be reined by Travis Bowman, and Larry Hughes’ Last Card Johnnie, to be piloted by Rick Murphy.

The second half of the twin feature will be led by Dom Rafanelli’s Galactic Council N (Roger Plante), a 1:53 winner last time, but who must start from the outside post, number eight. Tom Weber’s Bedrock Café N (Jim Morand) drew the rail and Gary Wolf’s Tendulkar N (Brad Hanners), who will be dropping from the Junior Open ranks, will start alongside the former, and Rodney Long and Howard Bowen’s Elwood J Blues N (Eddie Davis, Jr.) will start from the second tier.

The rest of the field will be led by Wynfield Bob (Herve Filion), owned by Club Risque Stable and Brandrew Racing; Don Hawk and Dan Warrington’s Mattnifesto (Steve Warrington); Peter Tritton’s OK Ulisee N (Sean Bier); My Cap N (Ross Wolfenden), owned by Morris and Christine Williams; and MJGB Stable’s Company Stock (Tim Curtin).

Heading the undercard will be a $25,000 claiming pace. Lauren Allen’s Big Louie (Ross Wolfenden) has won two of his last three starts and will leave from the rail, and will face Don Hawk, John Hynansky and Dan Warrington’s Il Gusto N, and Real Hush (Cory Mumford), who will be making his first start for Howard Mumford after he was claimed.

The top conditioned race will be a $13,200 Delaware pace, which will be led by Bob Messick’s sharp Dragon Again colt Roddy’s Bags Again (Eddie Davis, Jr.).

Delaware sired three-year-old stakes begin on Sunday

Sons and daughters of sensational Badlands Hanover dominate six sophomore preliminary divisions of the lucrative Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund stakes on the Sunday, April 3 card at Dover Downs.

Both 2004 two-year-old champions are by Badlands Hanover and are owned by residents of Maine. Valerin K, owned by KDK Standardbreds of Cumberland Center and Bayland Lady, bred and owned by Milford Shaw of Bal Harbor, swept to victory in both the Harrington Raceway and Dover Downs $100,000 finals last fall. Both return to defend those titles.

Sunday at Dover Downs, the first of two DSBF preliminary rounds are broken into three $15,000 preliminaries. In the first race of the day, five of the six starters are sons of stallions standing at Winbak of Delaware. Four of them, including Valerin K, driven by Jim Morand, are by Badlands Hanover.

The second colt and gelding prelim features six of seven starters by Badlands Hanover. Two contenders, both by Badlands Hanover, have already won overnight races at Dover Downs. Armbro Compass, owned by John Celii, of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, scored a wire-to-wire 1:55.4 victory driven by Ross Wolfenden. He earlier had posted a 1:57.4 win to make his 2005 record two wins in three starts. The other winner is Fergus, also owned by KDK Standardbreds. Fergus registered a never-look-back 1:56 win reined by meet leading driver Brad Hanners.

Other noteworthy contenders in this division are two by Badlands Hanover, Wireless Hanover, with Tim Curtin in the sulky, owned by Michiganders Dan and Tom Courtemanche, and The Romester, driven by Brad Hanners for Steve Speron of Illinois and co-owner, trainer Greg Callahan of Delaware.

In the third colt prelim, another John Celii-owned Badlands Hanover son Bad Hombre (Brad Hanners) faces a Celii-bred and sold rival, Oozie’s Bad Boy, owned by Adam Victor and Son Stable and with Ross Wolfenden in the bike. Oozie’s Bad Boy is a son of the mating of Badlands Hanover and the $1-million winning distaff Ooh’s ‘N Aah’s. Bad Hombre has a gaudy early season record of four wins and two seconds in six races at Dover Downs in 2005.

A major contender in this prelim is another Badlands Hanover colt, the highly thought of Whata Buster, owned by Scott West of Ontario and Dean LaClair of New York. Whata Buster competed in the prestigious Metro Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack last fall.

In the first DSBF $15,000 filly prelim, four of the five starters are daughters of Badlands Hanover, including another owned by John Celii, Badlands Honey, with Jim Morand driving. Badlands Honey has won her last two starts, including a 1:55 triumph from post eight, along with three seconds in five races this year. In the second race on the program, she will meet George Leager’s Badlands Cowgirl, a 1:57.3 winner last time out for all-time leading Delaware driver Eddie Davis. Both won preps last week, among a select field of five starters.

In the second $15,000 prelim, all six starters are by Winbak stallions, four daughters of Badlands Hanover with Walton Hanover the sire of the other two. Peggy Martin’s Vital Flyte, a Badlands Hanover brown filly, will be reined by Kevin Sizer. She vans in from Monticello Raceway where she won three races, including her last start a week ago, to go along with two seconds. Badlandsue And Me, owned by Helen Looney and her daughter JoAnn King, won $32,560 last season and makes her initial 2005 start for Jim King.

In the last of the six DSBF prelims, and third featuring fillies, Milford Shaw’s Bayland Lady (Jim King) winner of both DSBF $100,000 finals last fall, tangles with two highly rated challengers. Ron Mario’s fast stakes seasoned Born Storyteller finished fourth in last fall’s Matron Stakes for youthful driver Jonathan Roberts while Sailongtong, in hand to Brad Hanners, owned by Marylanders Les Walls and Jack Upchurch, was a $42,750 winner at two.

Both the colts and fillies return for second round action next Sunday, April 10. The top eight point getters in the preliminaries qualify for the DSBF lucrative finals. Both $100,000 pacing finals are set for Monday, April 18.

Colt and filly trotters, dominated by Winbak of Delaware premier trotting stallion CR Commando offspring, vie in $100,000 finals on the Dover Downs meet-closing day, Thursday, April 21.