Pat Matters dominates at Dover
January 19, 2021,Dover, DE — Pat Matters ($8.40) beat the boys in Tuesday’s (Jan. 19) $20,000 Open Trot at Dover Downs with a dominant 1:51.4 performance.
Warrior One and Scirocco Rob left for early position over Pat Matters, who launched a quick brush from third to gain control of the race just after a rapid :27.1 first quarter. Once in control, driver Andy McCarthy rated Pat Matters to a :55.4 half before speeding to three-quarters in 1:23.4. At the top of the stretch, Pat Matters left her male rivals in her dust, using a :28 last quarter to win by a convincing two lengths. Warrior One (Yannick Gingras) finished second from the pocket, and Scirocco Rob (Tim Tetrick) finished third as the 3-2 favorite.
“Last week, I was unkind to her and roughed her up a bit,” McCarthy said about the 6-year-old Explosive Matter mare. “I wanted to sit behind JL Cruze last week, but he was not good. This week, I was easier on her, and she responded.”
Nifty Norman trains Pat Matters for the Patricia Stable.
Racing returns to Dover Downs on Wednesday (Jan. 20); post time is 4:30 p.m. Thursday’s (Jan. 21) card features a $10,000 guaranteed Pick-5 pool and a reduced 15 percent takeout on the wager which spans the final five races of the card.