by Marv Bachrad, publicity director, Dover Downs

Dover DE — The $320,000 Progress Pace and seven rich Matron Stakes highlight the biggest weekend of the Dover Downs season Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday, Chapter Seven, driven by Hall of Famer Mike Lachance for suburban Philadelphia owners, Richard Gutnick and Gary Cocco, an early 2011 Hambletonian favorite, drew the outside in the $132,075 male trot, the first of four Matron freshman events. The official program lists his chief rivals to be Sheik Shakoor and Kapideo Singh’s Bambino Hall, reined by Ross Wolfenden, and Scott Farber’s Opening Night with Corey Callahan.

The $136.725 2-year-old filly trot finds last week’s Preview winner Fashion Farms’ Sweet Love (Brian Sears) burdened with post 8. Tight Pants (Andy Miller) finished second for Mel Harman, Herb Liverman and David McDuffee with Don’t Cry Lindy (Mike Lachance) third for owners Martin Sternberg and Alvin Katz.

The richest purse is $203,950 with the Delaware-bred Powerful Mist (Jim Morand) seeking a sixth consecutive win after posting a 1:51.4 clocking in the elim. A nose back in second was Ted Gewertz, Kovach Stables and George Teague Jr. Inc.’s Feel Like A Fool (Brian Sears), and Frank Belino’s Lookinforadventure (Daniel Dube), who finished third only a long nose behind the winner.

In the $147,500 filly pace, Matron elim winner I Kill Time (Ross Wolfenden) and Bulletproof Enterprises’ New Album (Ron Pierce) were last Saturday elim winners. Rick Phillips’ Southwind Jazmin (Daniel Dube) was a beaten favorite while Dreamland Farms’ Myluvmylife (Mike Lachance) missed by a nose in his elim. Krispy Apple (Brian Sears) enjoyed a successful pari-mutuel debut trotting in 1:52.3 and finished second beaten a length.

On Sunday, the $320,000 Progress Pace features Rockin Image (Yannick Gingras), a 1:50 front-end winner last week.

The much awaited $237,213 Matron sophomore trot is a showdown between last week’s Preview winner Cowboyland Aalborg’s Kentucky Futurity winner Wishing Stone (George Brennan), Breeders Crown champion Bob Key’s Break The Bank K (Brian Sears), and late season comeback Il Villaggio (Jody Jamieson) owned by Brittany Farms, Blue Chip Bloodstock and Il Villaggio Partners.