If I Can Dream and Explosive Matter reset world records for age, gender and gait, and Margarita Momma entered the track record book, while Ron Pierce drove four winners on a giant nine Matron Stakes elimination card on Saturday, November 8 at Dover Downs.
Tracy Brainard trained three winners, all for Bulletproof Enterprises; Adam Victory & Son added two Matron victories.
In Matron Filly elims, the winners were trotters Honorable Daughter, One Tough Girl and Margarita Momma, along with filly pacer Perfectionist, Hawaiian Drink joined If I Can Dream winning their way into next Saturday's lucrative finals.
In colt divisions, pacing winners were: If I Can Dream and Schoolkids while Explosive Matters and Cesar A Blue Chip took the first season elims.
Explosive Matter is now unbeaten in his first three races capped by a 1:55 triumph in a $40,963 Matron Colt Trot. The son of Cantab Hall - Fireworks Hanover was energized in a 1:55 triumph-outdistancing runner-up BF Quotable (David Miller), second. Salutation Hanover (Dave Palone) finished third. The 1:55 clocking erased the former record set by Adrian Chip in the 2006 Matron elim. Noel Daley conditions Explosive Matter for Adam Victor & Son Stable of New York City.
Blue Chip Bloodstock, Lindy Racing Stable are partnered with Adam Victor & Son in the winner of the other $40,963 division, Cesar A Blue Chip (Andover Hall - Glad You Asked). Ron Pierce drove both winning trotters. Select Yankee (Miller) and Road Rash (Jimmy Takter) were second and third respectively.
Pierce won his fourth of the night in a $25,125 Filly Trot elim steering the Yankee Glide - Sheena Hall filly, Margarita Momma, owned by Jorgen Jahre and trainer Jan Johnson home on 1:56.2 to equal the track record set in 2006 Matron by Michelles Angel.
Paolo Rosanelli and John Siena's Honorable Daughter led off the stakes card with a 1:57.2 victory. Hall of Famer John Campbell overcame a Post 8 start as the Malabar Man - Honorable Mother filly won for the seventh time in eight career appearances flashing an impressive performance in the lane to draw off from All Star Hanover (Miller) and Valeris (Jacqui Ingrassia), the second and third-place finishers.
One Tough Girl, a sister to One Tough Lass, one of the highest priced horses at the Harrisburg sale this year, rolled home a 1:58 winner in another $25,125 distaff trot. Im A Ridge Girl (Pierce) and Allamerican Phoebe (Yannick Gingras) were second and third respectively.
In a $42,975 Colt Pace elim, If I Can Dream (Western Hanover - Arterra) broke the former record set by Artsplace and Badlands Nitro, racing in Sunday's $390,000 Progress Pace, established this same week in 2007, by two-fifths of a second. George Brennan guided If I Can Dream holding off fast finishing and previously unbeaten Barber Pole (Tim Tetrick) in 1:50.4 record time. Lightning Elvis (Cat Manzi) was the show horse.
Schoolkids, trained by Tracy Brainard for Bulletproof Enterprises, was one of Tim Tetrick's four-bagger. The odds-on favorite bested McArdles Star (Daniel Dube), second, and Clear Vision (Sears) in 1:52.2 to win another of the $42,975 colt divisions. Schoolkids, an I Am A Fool colt from Game Bunny, now has won seven of 13 outings.
On the pace, Brittany Farms' homebred Perfectionist (Western Ideal - Sounds Perfect) was all by herself in a 1:52.3 performance in a $34,950 Matron Filly elim. Thats The Plan (Brian Sears) finished second with Pomptuous (Kevin Sizer) the show horse.
Hawaiian Drink, another Brainard-conditioned for Bulletproof Enterprises winner, zipped pace setting Ginger And Fred (Tetrick) on the last turn and poured it on for a 1:52.4 score in a second $34,950 filly section. Up Front Noel (Andrew McCarthy) beat Indulge Me (Mike Lachance) for place honours.
The top eight from each of the four Matron divisions return next Saturday for finals.
The Matron Colt Pace has a $257,850 purse; the colt trot - $245,775. In Filly finals, the trot goes for $226,125 and the pace for $209,709.
(With files from Dover Downs)