First-round winners repeat in DSBF male trot splits
December 7, 2021,Dover, DE — Next Thursday’s (Dec. 16) $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund final for 3-year-old male trotters is shaping up as a likely showdown between Blue Devil ($4.20) and Rhett ($2.40), as both geldings completed sweeps of their preliminary divisions on Tuesday (Dec. 7) at Dover Downs.
Blue Devil captured the faster of the two $20,000 second-round preliminary events, evading even-money favorite Big Al M for a 1:58.2 score in the first division. Montrell Teague pushed the son of Anders Bluestone and Overnight Hit to the early lead before yielding to Big Al M (Eric Davis) at the completion of a :29 first quarter. Immediately after ceding the lead, Teague promptly retook with Blue Devil and pulled the tempo back through a 1:00.4 middle half. Up the backstretch and into the far turn, Blue Devil faced a stern first-over challenge from Altar Call (Barton Dalious), but dismissed that rival and sprinted away off the corner for home. Blue Devil used :28.3 stretch speed to maintain 1-1/4 lengths of clearance over runner-up Big Al M at the winning post; Vlahos (Tim Tetrick) rallied three-wide off stalled cover to finish third.
Adrian Wisher trains five-time winner Blue Devil, whom Art Stafford Jr. bred, for Elite Harness Racing LLC.
In the second division, Rhett and driver Corey Callahan left between rivals before yielding control to a three-wide Bluestone Jackson (Jason Thompson) and subsequently retaking after a contested :28.1 first quarter. Rhett maintained a quick pace through a :57.4 first half before bracing for — and parrying — two separate challenges through the final five-sixteenths of the mile. After dismissing the first-over Command The Market (Russell Foster) past three-quarters in 1:28.1, son of Keystone Activator and Lake Serena also held off a late push from runner-up Bluestone Jackson up the open stretch to win in 1:59.1. Command The Market preserved third despite leveling off in the stretch.
David Wiest co-owns seven-time winner Rhett with trainer-breeder Don Wiest.
Blue Devil and Rhett secured berths to the $100,000 DSBF final, as did Big Al M, Bluestone Jackson, Someofmygoodtime, Vlahos, Command The Market and Marvin B Swift.
Twelve Delaware-sired 3-year-old pacing fillies will contest their second preliminary round of their DSBF series on Wednesday (Dec. 8), with two divisions of six to square off for $20,000 each in the first two races of the 14-race card at Dover. First post is 4:30 p.m.