Trotter Commitment To Win pulled a stunning 12-1 upset and pacer No Picnic scored a courageous victory in their respective $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund frosh finals at Dover Downs on Saturday, Dec. 3 while driver Jon Roberts joined the 2,000 win club
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Prohibitive favourite Alleigh Girl appeared on the way to her seventh consecutive victory in the stretch, but was deterred when Roger Plante guided Commitment To Win to a surprise 2:00.1 victory in the $100,000 two-year-old filly trot final. Josh Green and Baron Racing Stable own the CR-Commando-Independence distaff, who notched her first win of the season in only her fifth lifetime start. Alleigh Girl (Ross Wolfenden) was passed in the final steps with La Vita Loca Rusty (Brad Hanners) securing third place.
“She’s been improving in each of her starts,” said winning driver Plante. “She had plenty of trot when we turned for home and she was game the rest of the way.”
Co-owner and trainer Josh Green was elated in the winner’s circle.
“[Commitment To Win] has had some problems and has been sick all training season, but she showed promise and has been getting better every week.”
The victory gives the filly earnings of $60,060 to date.
The $100,000 two-year-old filly pace final was no picnic for No Picnic. The bay daughter of Badlands Hanover-Michiko withstood two hard-hitting assaults during her winning 1:55.4 mile. First Genies Genie (Tony Morgan) tried to overtake No Picnic to no avail on the backstretch. Then after shaking her off, Designer Bags (Allan Davis) darted out of third three-wide and chased the winner the length of the stretch. The win was the sixth in 10 starts with two seconds for No Picnic and owners LeBlanc Racing and Badlands Racing. She has now banked $117,871.
"[No Picnic] has been a pleasure since we broke her,” remarked trainer Steve LeBlanc. “She showed what kind of a filly she is with that big finish.”
Co-owner John Celii, who owns No Picnic’s sire Badlands Hanover, said he and LeBlanc picked her out of the Winbak Chesapeake Yearling sale.
"Even though I bred a couple of the other fillies in the final, this is the one I wanted.”
Two more $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund two-year-old finals are set for Sunday when colts and geldings battle it out in $100,000 contests for pacers and for trotters.
Vince Copeland piloted Roddys Girl to a 1:57.2 success in one of the $20,000 filly pace consolations. The Roddys Bags Again-Terro Franco N brown filly bested Triple Wire (Jason Lynch) and Anns Obsession (Bryan Truitt). Da Boss Lady romped to a 2:03 victory in the $20,000 DSBF filly trot consolation. Trainer-driver Les Givens drove the Don Boss Vita-Rompaway Ruth freshman quickly to the lead and then won easily. Melody Lou (Roger Plante) was second in front of Freedom Queen (Tony Morgan).
It took only until Jon Roberts' third drive of the night to make the winner’s circle, reaching a 2,000-win milestone. Roberts drove owner-trainer Ralph Shoemaker’s veteran trotter Rumpointer to victory in the fifth race.
(With files from Dover Downs)