by Marv Bachrad, publicity director, Dover Downs

Dover, DE — Downbytheseaside beat Brian Brown trained stablemate Fear The Dragon in 1:50.1 to win the $35,000 Hap Hansen Progress Pace elimination and lead the first eight finishers to next Thursday’s $300,000 final. Earlier fillies Star Sapphire and Vandalous and colt Super Fly completed Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund preliminaries with $20,000 freshman trotting victories on Wednesday (Nov. 22) at Dover Downs.

Last week Downbytheseaside won the $210,000 Matron Stake coming down the passing lane but in the Progress elim, the million dollar winner took the lead on the final turn and sped home a three length winner, beating another Brian Brown trainee, Fear The Dragon, who topped the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Poll most of the summer.

Fotowon photo

Downbytheseaside beat Brian Brown trained stablemate Fear The Dragon in 1:50.1 to win the $35,000 Hap Hansen Progress Pace elimination.

Chris Page piloted Downbytheseaside from post nine in the second tier of 11 starters. The Somebeachsomewhere-Sprig Hanover 3-year-old got away sixth, 11 lengths off the lead while Beach Boogie (Simon Allard) and Blood Line (Mark MacDonald) battled for the lead at a :26 opening quarter. Beach Boogie secured the front and led to a stunning :53.1 half.

Hall of Famer David Miller and Fear The Dragon went into action to take over, reaching the three-quarters in 1:21.4 with Downbytheseaside enjoying a second-over trip. At the last turn the Richard Lombardo, Joe Sbrocco, Country Club Acres and Diamond Creek Racing-owned campaigner hustled by to take the lead and draw off a convincing winner. Geez Joe, with Marcus Miller driving, finished third in front of Blood Line and Western Joe (Vic Kirby), fourth and fifth, respectively. Music Is Art (Corey Callahan), Normandy Beach (Tim Tetrick) and Mac’s Jackport (Brett Miller) completed the eight colts in the final.

Again in DSBF prelims, Vandalous, driven by Corey Callahan for owners Chambers Racing, Cinbrew Enterprises and BCJM Inc., was the fastest of the 2-year-old filly trotting division, rolling to a 7-1/2 length victory despite a strong challenge from Uptown Spunk (Roger Plante) at the three-quarters before she broke stride. Whoa Winna Now (Russell Foster) finished second with Uptown Spunk rallying for third. Vandalous is a brown daughter of JM Vangogh-Mocha and is now four for seven with a second and a third, while earning $53,800 in purses.

In the other $20,000 DSBF filly prelim, Serendipity Stable’s homebred Star Sapphire won easily in 2:00.4 with Russell Foster guiding the win. The Anders Bluestone-Victory Starburst bay won for the third time in seven starts with a second and a third. Trained by Tui Stone, she has banked $75,650 already this season. Alpine Chic (Allan Davis) sat second the entire route with Press Pass (Art Stafford Jr.) third.

Dover Downs now features a 50-cent Pick-5 wager starting with the second race through the sixth. A late daily double is carded for the 12th and 13th races. Dover Downs races four days a week, Monday through Thursday with post time at 4:30 p.m.