Anders Bluestone waltzes to win in $23,000 Dover Downs trot

Dover, DE — Ross Wolfenden pulled Anders Bluestone out of last in the $23,000 Open Handicap Trot and quickly zoomed down the backstretch to score a 1:57.1 victory on a rainy, windy and sloppy track on Wednesday (Nov. 7) at Dover Downs.

Fotowon photo

Anders Bluestone scored in 1:57.1 in the Open Handicap Trot.

Yanks came on in deep stretch at 25-1 to take the $16,000 Winners Over Trot secondary feature. Ross Wolfenden drove four winners. Josh Green had three training wins.

For the Eric Ell-trained Anders Bluestone, it was his 14th victory of the season in 26 starts with five seconds and three seconds, banking $322,550 for owners Ken Wood and Bill Dittmar. Sun Of A Victory closed well to finish second best. Allmar Surprise and Vic Kirby were third.

Wood and Dittmar claimed Anders Bluestone in late Summer two years ago and the Yankee Glide-Annette Hanover trotter quickly returned to top class status.

Allan Davis found room in late stretch, sending Charles Cochrane’s Yanks to victory in 1:57.2. Spunky Vic (Ron Pierce) scooted along the passing lane to finish second. Early leader He’s Spooky (Brad Hanners) was third.

— Marv Bachrad

Batavia Downs
A scorching first half-mile of :57.3 could have been troublesome for front-running Real Joy in the $9,000 Fillies and Mares Open Pace at Batavia Downs Wednesday night, but that wasn’t the case. It proved to be the winning formula. Real Joy ($24.80) and driver Dave McNeight III set sail from the start, posting all the fractions in going gate-to-wire, scoring a half-length victory over Artistry In Rhythm (Mickey Holliday) and Ride A Cowboy (John Cummings, Jr.). In notching the win over the fast track on a crisp 38 degree night, Real Joy set the tempo by posting times of :27.4, :57.3 and 1:26.2 in registering a final time of 1:55.1. Owned by Richard Noel and trained by Ron Van Wagoner, Real Joy has now won four races in 34 starts in 2012, improving her bankroll to $39,083. Real Joy is a 4-year-old Real Artist mare. The third and final qualifying leg of the Henry Tojj Claiming Series for pacers was contested Wednesday and the five $7,000 division winners were Upfront Red River (1:58), Becausewecam (1:56.4), Play Of The Day (1:57.1), The Classic Z Tam (1:57.3) and Marthe My Dear (1:56.4). The $27,000 final of the series will be held on Nov. 17 with the $10,000 consolation to be held that night as well. Making the final are Answer The Bell, Johnny Grippa, Looks R Deceiving, Marthe My Dear, Play Of The Day, The Classic Z Tam, Up Front Red River and Vasvixen N.

Pompano
Credit Balance made his first-ever Florida start a successful one on Wednesday night at Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park, winning the $8,500 Open Trot in 1:56. Sent off as the second longest shot in the race, the 5-year-old son of Credit Winner swept from fifth to first in the third quarter and held off the late charge of Prairie Big John by a neck at the wire. Hall of Fame reinsman Wally Hennessey pulled the eventual winner to the outside just before the halfway point in the mile while Tom Sells had the eventual runner-up following right behind. They were joined by last week’s winner Celebrity Legacy (Bruce Ranger), who got the show dough, in a stirring three-horse stretch battle. It was the 20th lifetime win for Credit Balance, who is owned by Ron MacDonald and trained by Kim Seaman. The clocking was a lifetime best effort for the winner who has raced most of the past two seasons at Rideau Carleton Raceway in Canada. Racing resumes at Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park on Saturday night with the track’s richest program of the year, dubbed Florida Super Night. Total purses for the evening will be $474,500, including eight $50,000-plus Florida Breeders Stakes contests for Florida-bred horses. In addition, there will be a t-shirt giveaway as well as a Pick-4 pool estimated at more than $5,000 as part of the gala night of racing.

Saratoga
Trainer Paul Zabielski had three horses compete on Wednesday night at Saratoga Casino and Raceway and the veteran conditioner went undefeated. Teaming up with driver Jim Devaux for all three wins, Zabielski thrived with victories from favored pacers Victorrain (Valley Victor) and Memory Game (Artiscape) and longshot Roses Dream Boy (Fit For Life). Memory Game was coming off a lifetime mark when he moved into the $7,490 conditioned-claimer and assumed the early lead. The even money favorite held on in the stretch to register his second consecutive win, stopping the timer in 1:57.1. Victorrain drew the rail and cruised to an open length score in 2:00.1 for Zabielski and Devaux while upset minded Roses Dream Boy set a lifetime mark of his own, upsetting at odds of 11-1. Roses Dream Boy parlayed his pocket trip to a 1:58.2 score to compete the hat trick for his connections. Zabielski took over seventh in the trainer standings with the big effort on a cold Wednesday evening in Saratoga.