It was owner/trainer Bob Winkelman’s biggest win turning Paradise Lost into ‘Paradise Found’ by winning Monday’s $20,000 Open Mares Pace at Dover Downs.
Paradise Lost overtook front-pacing Jeremes Sweetheart in deep stretch while holding off fast-finishing Alexachase at the wire in 1:53.1 to win the featured event for distaffers.
Winkelman has been training one or two horses for the past three decades, first at the late Brandywine Raceway, and more recently adding another horse or two. He has brought Paradise Lost from a rejected green pacer he bought to a hard-hitting female pacer.
Ron Pierce had to use race favourite Jeremes Sweetheart hard leaving from the outside in a select field of distaff pacers before taking the lead at the quarter. Heading to the half-mile Paradise Lost was first to move and driver Ross Wolfenden drove up to challenge for the lead. The front-pacing duo raced side-by-side the rest of the mile until Wolfenden urged Paradise Lost to the front by a head. Meanwhile Bret Brittingham was hustling Alexachase four-wide around the last turn and closed with a rush to edge Jeremes Sweetheart by a head for second-place.
Paradise Lost is a seven-year-old daughter of Artsplace-Loving Ideal and now has won her first of the year to go with a second and three thirds banking $24,450. In her career, she has 18 wins and $194,661 earnings.
(Dover Downs)