Dover, DE — Navy Blue continued his tear through the First State on Tuesday (Nov. 29), recording a 1:56.3 win — his eighth victory from nine starts this season — in his $20,000 first-round preliminary division of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund series for 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings at Bally’s Dover. JAs Bluestone rallied from off the pace to nab odds-on choice LG’s Reed O Wen in the other division.

Prohibitive 1-20 favorite Navy Blue, in line to trainer-driver Art Stafford Jr., wasted no time establishing control of the terms, forcing Big Daddy D (driven by Cody Poliseno) to retreat to the pocket at the end of a :28.2 first-quarter duel. The pair raced one-two through middle splits of :58.3 and 1:27.3 while steadily separating themselves from their four rivals. Off the home turn, Navy Blue edged two lengths clear of his nearest rival, and, despite drifting a bit wide in mid-stretch, maintained that margin to the end of his 1:56.3 victory. Sunset Sail (Tony Morgan) rallied to take third, another 14-1/4 lengths behind.

Navy Blue and Art Stafford Jr. lived up to 1-20 billing in their first-round preliminary split of the year’s final DSBF series, held Tuesday at Bally’s Dover. Fotowon photo.

Stafford, who also bred Navy Blue, shares ownership with Wyatt Starkey. The Anders Bluestone-Overnight Hit gelding has now won 10 of his 14 career starts including the Harrington DSBF series final earlier in the season, amassed $157,986 in career earnings, and paid $2.10 to win.

In the other division, JAs Bluestone took advantage of a pressured pace and a patient steer from trainer-driver Victor Kirby to win in 1:59. Away sixth early in the field of seven, JAs Bluestone angled third-over up the backstretch after LG’s Reed O Wen (Jim Morand) took three-eighths of a mile to clear for the lead. Despite being able to pull the half back to :58.3, LG’s Reed O Wen faced a second challenge heading into the far turn, when the first-over Tua (Montrell Teague) briefly seized command from LG’s Reed O Wen. When Tua began to stall in the breeze, Kirby spun JAs Bluestone three-wide, and the Anders Bluestone-JA’s Commando gelding rallied to collar LG’s Reed O Wen by a neck in 1:59. Embrace The Stone (Tim Tetrick) finished third.

JAs Bluestone, a Pamela Wagner homebred, paid $6.20 to win. He has now won five times in 22 career starts and has banked $124,381.

The second preliminary round of the DSBF series for 3-year-old male trotters is slated for next Tuesday (Dec. 6). Wednesday’s (Nov. 30) 14-race program at Bally’s Dover begins with a pair of $20,000 DSBF first-round events for 3-year-old pacing fillies; post time is 4:30 p.m.