by Cheri Stambaugh, MSRF Administrator

Berlin, MD — A light rain before the races and a beautiful double rainbow greeted the Ocean Downs fans on Sunday (June 24). The Maryland Sire Stakes preliminaries for 3-year-olds opened the program with the first division for filly pacers.

HS Shauna (Up Front Charlie) with Art Stafford Jr. in the bike held off the pocket sitting Cool Toy (Cool Flying Fun) in the 1:55.1 mile. Joseph Carroll trains for owner–breeder Cary Grady.

In race two for 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings, reinsman Russell Foster was content to put Chucky De Vie (Charlie De Vie) in the pocket behind rival What That Is (Cam’s Rocket). When the stretch duel was over Chucky De Vie pulled away by 1-1/2 lengths, stopping the clock in 1:59.1 for co-owner–breeder Joie De Vie Farm, co-owner Paul Nigito and trainer Hermann Heitmann.

Driver Victor Kirby pulled filly Miss Choptank (Total Truth) going up the backside to challenge Princess Rusty (Rusty’s For Real) all the way to the wire with Miss Choptank getting the win for Legacy Racing of DE Inc. and Stephen Townsend and trainer Wayne Givens. The breeders are Olive Branch Farm and Philip Wilson. Time for the mile was 1:56.

The pacing colts and geldings and trotting fillies will contest their first round of preliminaries on Monday (June 25) starting at 7:05 p.m.