by Marv Bachrad, Dover Downs Publicity Director

Dover, DE — Rainbow Blue needed a world record performance to win an $85,000 preliminary in the Classic Distaff pace, the headline event at Dover Downs on Monday, April 18.

Rainbow Blue and driver Ron Pierce set a world record and became the fastest filly or mare around three turns when she won a Classic Series opener at Dover on Monday

With budding arch-rival Loyal Opposition scratched, sick, Ron Pierce dropped into third after the start with Rainbow Blue, and Glowing Report became her chief opposition and cut a stunning :25³ opening quarter-mile for driver David Miller, and continued to lead, to the half-mile pole in :54².

Pierce waited until the field reached the backstretch before calling on “Big Blue,” and she taxied alongside the leader as the three-quarters was reached in 1:22, and the two then waged a war on the final turn.

Reaching the straightaway, Rainbow Blue began to edge away and posted a commanding, :27² final quarter-mile time.

The 1:49⁴ clocking easily erased the world record and track record for a 4-year-old pacing mare, and is the fastest mile ever paced by a filly or mare around three turns. The former divisional record, 1:51, was set nine years ago by She’s A Great Lady, driven by Kevin Sizer, at Pocono Downs, and was matched two years ago by a 3-year-old filly, Gordon’s Gin Ms, reined by Brian Sears, also at Pocono Downs.

Dover Downs photos

Maltese Artist (1) and driver Ron Pierce, also put their names in the record book on Monday at Dover

Two races later, Ron Pierce again took the spotlight. The 2004 Driver of the Year and a 2005 Hall of Fame inductee put his foot on the accelerator while driving Maltese Artist. Starting from post position one in a field of 10, the Mickey Burke-conditioned 4-year-old son of Artiscape fashioned fractions of :26¹, :53³, and 1:21³, and stopped the timer at 1:48³, and thus became the fastest pacer, regardless of age, over a five-eighths mile track.

Maltese Artist, a gelding, bettered the former divisional record of 1:50², set in December, 2000 at Pompano Park by The Paper Wazoo and driver Bruce Ranger, and prior to Monday, Riyadh had been the fastest pacer on a five-eighths mile track, regardless of age and sex, after he raced to a 1:49¹ win at Dover Downs in November, 1996, under the direction of Luc Ouellette.

Life Source rallied on the inside and finished second with George Brennan driving, and Casimir Comotion started from the second tier, remained on the rail, closed a bit of ground while he came home, and finished third.

Maltese Artist was purchased last November at the Standardbred Horse Sale for $145,000 by George Leon, John Howard, and Jim Koran; he has won four times and posted four second place finishes in 2005, and has already earned $191,425 this year.

The Trotting Classic was the first race on a giant program, and Hall of Fam driver John Campbell drove Fool’s Goal, trained by another Hall of Famer, Jim Doherty, to a 1:53⁴, track record equaling performance by an older gelding in the first of two $60,000 Trotting Classic divisions.

The victory, first of the year for the 10-year-old, altered son of Armbro Goal, also lifted Fool’s Goal to the $3 million club; he has now won $3,028,220 for owners Bruce McElven and Ron Allen. Hunt M Down closed for driver Brian Sears and finished second, just in front of Elegant Man with driver Cat Manzi aboard.

Kevin Wallis drove Berry Stables’ Chucaro Ahijuna, trained by Paul Bernardo, from behind; they closed strongly in the stretch and scored a 1:54¹ win in the second $60,000 Trotting Classic division. War Paint came on in the stretch and finished second for John Campbell, and the David Miller-driven Al Dente Hanover finished third. The locally owned Don Boss Vita, the race favorite, got a tough, overland trip for driver Brian Sears, and had to settle for fourth, which broke a streak of six wins in a row which had spanned this year and last.

John Campbell, who has won more races in the Classic Series than any other driver, eight, returned to the winner’s circle in the first of two Classic Oaks divisions when he guided Valley High Stable’s 5-year-old Muscles Yankee mare to a 1:56⁴ victory for trainer Paul Kelley. Celebrity Demi and Pat Berry finished second, and Bliss, reined by David Miller, finished third. Sunday Yankee has now won $378,512 in her career.

As anticipated, Mystical Sunshine, among the top fillies last year, proved much the best in her 1:54³ $60,000 Classic Oaks win. Driver Ron Pierce waited until the field, reduced to five when Almond Joy and Three Little Words were scratched, straightened out after the start. Pierce put Mystical Sunshine into motion on the clubhouse turn and overtook the early leaders, Ecstatic and driver David Miller, by the time she had reached the backstretch. It was no contest from there, and Ecstatic closed on the inside, broke stride at the wire, but won nonetheless.

Delaware-owned horses in the Classic Series were not fortunate on Monday: JM Vangogh, a $731,961 winner and Canadian champion trotter, co-owned by trainer Paul Chambers, had a difficult journey and finished behind Fool’s Goal in the first of two $60,000 Trotting Classic divisions, and another locally owned starter, Kovach Stable’s Art Director, finished sixth in the Pacing Classic.

The power-packed, 15-race program also included two $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund Finals for 3-year-old pacers.

In a field composed of eight daughters of Badlands Hanover, Peggy Martin’s Vital Flyte dominated her opposition in her $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund Final, to the tune of 1:52⁴, a new stakes record for a sophomore filly pacer. Kevin Sizer took the brown filly right to the front, they fashioned all the fractions, and she scored her sixth win in 10 races this year. She has now banked $71,666 this year for trainer Clarence Martin Jr. and owner Peggy Martin of Honesdale, Penn.

Valerin K overpowered seven rivals in a wire-to-wire, 1:52² victory in the $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund Final for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers. Jim Morand, last year’s leading driver at Dover Downs, was just a passenger when the son of Badlands Hanover and Valerin Hanover, a gelding, rolled home in :27². Bad Hombre, driven by Brad Hanners, finished second and Whata Buster and driver Travis Bowman finished third. It was the third win in four starts this year for Valerin K, who is now 11-for-14, lifetime, and has won $66,440 this year and $191,615 in his career for KDK Standardbreds of Cumberland, Maine.

Cool Flying Fun, Make A Success, Racsan John win supporting features

A $36,000 Preferred pace topped the exceptional supporting card on Monday, in which Nick Callahan’s Cool Flying Fun raced gamely for driver Brian Sears, took on the leader, Bobnoxious, on the backstretch, and then notched a 1:51 triumph. Ashlee’s Big Guy (Cat Manzi) also overtook Bobnoxious and finished second. Only one-half length separated the first three finishers.

Elmer Fannin’s Make A Success was sick last week, and was about to be scratched on Monday, until he warmed up well. In a $32,500 Delaware Special, Eddie Davis, Jr. drove the 5-year-old Western Hanover gelding to the outside after the half-mile and quickly took command at that point on the way to a 1:50³, career-fastest victory. Dreamfair Titan and driver George Dennis finished two and one-quarter lengths back, in second, and Time Flies N, the only mare in the field, driven by Brian Sears, was the show horse.

Racsan John, owned by Don Hawk, John Hynansky, and trainer Dan Warrington, closed from seventh for driver Vic Kirby at the three-quarter pole and then powered past eight rivals and scored a 1:51 victory, by one and one-quarter lengths, in a $28,000 Open Handicap pace. Bay Sign (Jonathan Roberts) cut the mile and finished second, and Beecher Park (David Miller) was parked early, led briefly, and then finished third.

In a pair of $17,500 Delaware winners-over paces, Bill Emmons Tug River Jim closed in the passing lane and scored a career-fastest 1:51 win, one of three wins for driver Brian Sears, in which Rocky Spur (Brad Hanners) led until late in the stretch and then finished second, and in the other division, Sears steered Mitch and Pearl Fisher’s Future Teasure to his first win of the year, a near wire-to-wire, 1:54 performance. And in a third division of the same class, Jim Morand won his second raced of the day when he piloted Fox Valley Michael, a 6-year-old he owns in partnership with Green Racing, to a never-look-back victory timed in 1:52¹.

Roger Plante drove Dom Rafanelli’s Galactic Council N to a 1:52 triumph, using the passing lane, in the final race on the program, a $40,000 claiming pace.

Crossfire N to head the final $27,000 Mares Open Pace at the meet

Crossfire N, last year’s Horse of the Meet at Dover, will lead a field of six in a $27,000 Mares Open Handicap pace on what will be the final Tuesday program at the 2004-05 Dover Downs meet. Post time will be at 4:30 p.m. (EDT).

Through the late fall and early winter, Crossfire N was only a contender in the top class at Dover for female pacers, but recently the 8-year-old Camtastic mare has racked up three wins and three seconds in her six starts, including a career-fastest, 1:51³ victory. Last week, she finished second behind Rainbow Blue. Mike Cole will drive the Wendy Crissman and 49 Racing Stable owned distaffer and they will leave from post position six.

Joey White and Harness the Power’s Ann Other Porsche, driven by Steve Warrington, has also come into her own in recent weeks, with three wins and one second in her six most recent outings. Skip Miller’s Tawny is no stranger to the winner’s circle in this class; Brad Hanners has guided her tthrough four winning trips. Cams Little Imp N, to be driven by Ross Wolfenden for owners Les Walls and Jack Upchurch, and Jeff Franklin’s Clock Watcher, to be reined by this time by Travis Bowman, have both been steady performers all year. Martin Scharf’s House Flight, with Jim Morand to drive, will leave from the rail.

An $18,000 winners-over pace for mares will top a strong undercard. Rodney Long’s good-closing Mapua Magic N (Ross Wolfenden) will be the lone starter who won her last start. Don Hawk, John Hynansky, and Dan Warrington’s Jenny’s Picnic (Steve Warrington) and Dave Clark and trainer Jeff Clark’s Bluebird Wanda (Hal Belote) were both second in their previous races. A pair of horses connected to individuals who own, train, and drive them, Toby Lynch’s one-time Horse of the Meet Roses Best and Roger Plante’s Seasin, both finished third last time. The other starters will be Debby Avery’s Fake The Moment (Jim Morand), Brooks Stable’s Hasty Dewar (Kevin Sizer), Bob Collins’ West Coast Arturo (Eddie Davis), and Roger Hammer’s RN Artist, who will start from post position one.

Bob and Rhonda Smith’s Mrs Tricky (Jim Morand), Clair Corle and Roger Hammer’s My Gal Phyl, and Ray Martin’s Dream-A-While will lead a group of nine to the starting gate in a $12,500 distaff pace.

Dover Downs has added a Pick 4 to its wagering format, and it is featured on the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh races each day, and a fifth Superfecta has been added to the track’s daily, six-day-a-week, 15 race schedule. Superfectas will be offered on the third, fifth, ninth, 13th, and 15th races. Simulcasting from major harness and Thoroughbred tracks is featured daily, from noon until midnight (EDT).

Post time on Tuesday through Thursday will be at 4:30 p.m. (EDT) and the meet will end this coming Thursday. There is no charge for parking or admission. Reservations are suggested for the Winner’s Circle Restaurant. Call (302) 674-4600.