Dover Downs looking to a big 48th season

Dover Downs opens its 2017-2018 harness racing meet on Monday, Oct. 30. Looking back, its 48th season was arguably the finest in track history with top racing, top horses and drivers all season long, ending April 13, 2017.

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Enhance Your Mind was voted Horse of the Meet by members of the Delaware Valley Chapter U.S. Harness Writers Association. Enhance Your Mind, was a winner of nine races and $123,974 purses during the meet taking a 1:50.2 record. Other top contenders: pacers Major Uptrend, Barbara's Shadow, Emeritus Maximus, Blazing Bobby Sox and trotters Tough Mac and Frost Free Hanover.

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Easy Lover Hanover, driven by Doug McNair, completed a modern day harness racing 'Cinderella story' by winning the $314,600 Hap Hansen Progress Pace in 1:49, Nov. 28. 2016. The winning time of 1:49, was a season's fastest clocking for a sophomore gelding pacer, in the final major stake of the year.

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Matron Stakes and Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund event for two-year-old of both sexes and gaits highlighted a big Nov. 3, 2016 card. A 32-1 longshot What's Goin On driven by Hall of Famer David Miller won the $171,300 colt pace while Ain't Three OK (Brian Sears) took the $170,000 filly pace in 1:52.4. Delaware-owned and Corey Callahan-driven Fine Tuned Lady and Snowstorm Hanover (Matt Kakaley) won the Matron trots.

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The leading trainer title came down to the last day of the meet. Defending champion Dylan Davis broke a 72-all tie for first place, adding two wins on the final day to best Jim King, having his finest meet, who led for most of the season. Davis finished with 74 wins, King had 72. Leigh Raymer was in third place, with 43 wins, the most ever for a female trainer at the track. Josh Green, fourth, at 37, with Joe Hundertpfund, fifth with 37 winners.

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Dylan Davis had the leading UTRS stats (batting average) at .426, with Leigh Raymer second with a .422. Jim King, third, .413. Clyde Francis, was fourth, .399, Don Brittingham completed the top five with a .395.

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In the Leading Driver derby, defending champion Corey Callahan, after a slow start, came on strongly and finished with a comfortable 26-win advantage, 169-143 over runner-up, early season leader, Vic Kirby. In statistics, Tony Morgan moved into third place with 136 winners, Yannick Gingras was fourth with 114 wins. Tim Tetrick, 103, finished fifth.

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The leading percentage driver with more than 100 starts was Tim Tetrick with a UTRS (batting average) of .373, one point higher than Yannick Gingras, second, at .372. Tony Morgan, having his finest season in recent years, was third, .317. Vic Kirby was in fourth place with .303 and Corey Callahan had a .293 UTRS.

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The number 5 post position accounted for the most wins with 248 of 1,314 starts. Post 1 had 198 winners, post 4-195 wins, post 3-193 victories, and post 2-176. Post 6 was next with 125 wins, post 7-88 and post 8-59 and with far fewer starts post 9-36, in 461 starts..

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In late November 2016, winning the $100,000 Colt and Gelding Pace 2-Year-Old Final put Bags To Riches into the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund(DSBF) record book. His winning time in the $100,000 DSBF Colt Final of 1:51.1 is the fastest clocking for a freshman pacer in the programs history. Other $100,000-winning champions were; Logan's Girl, in the Filly Pace. Crosby, a 17-1 shot, won the Colt Trot Final and Spoonful was winner of the DSBF Filly Trot Final.

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The last week of the 2016-2017 season featured four $100,000 Three-Year-Old DSBF Finals. Master Clave (Ross Wolfenden) won the Male Trot in 1:59; 40-1 shot Lunar Phase (Art Stafford Jr.) won the Filly pace; Spoonful (Jim Morand), the Two-Year-Old Dover champion took the soph Male trot title; and another double champ Bags For Riches (Tim Tetrick) won the Male pace in 1:51.4.

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George Teague Stable started seven Delaware-breds in $20,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) Three-Year-Old Male pace preliminary divisions. Two came away with the fastest prelim wins, Henry The Dragon (1:52) and Daiymir (1:52.4).

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The penultimate day of the meet saw the only track record broken. Celebrity Pegasus worked his way through the ranks, to win a feature trot in 1:50 replacing Hes Spooky, who set his mark of 1:52.3 in 2013, as the track's fastest older trotter.

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Delaware horsemen came up big at various post 2016 awards banquets. At the U.S. Harness Writers Association (USHWA) Night of Champions honoring the 2016 Dan Patch Awards winners on Sunday, Feb. 26, at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, Nevada. Always B Miki, bred and co-owned by Wilmington, Del. attorney Joe Hurley's Roll The Dice Stable won 2016 Horse of the Year honors. Fred Hertrich, who owns Allamerican Harnessbreds, purchased an interest in world champion pacer Always B Miki. Hertrich becomes the second Delawarean, along with Hurley, in ownership of the fastest harness horse in history owner of a 1:46 clocking. Joe Hurley, bred Always B Miki from his stallion Always A Virgin and mare.

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George Teague was a two-time 2016 USHWA award winner. Team Teague won the coveted Stan Bergstein Proximity Award, the second highest honor presented by USHWA, and for the second time Teague was named USHWA's Good Guy Award winner. Teague also received the Harness Horsemen International (HHI) top award, "The Dominic Frinzi Person of the Year." for his support of the sport by graciously allowing the public to meet and greet his great pacer, 2015 Horse of the Year, Wiggle It Jiggleit. On many occasions during 2016, Teague went all out to help promote harness racing at many events.

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Earlier, in Canada, on January 29, George Teague accepted the Older Pacer of the Year Award presented to Wiggle It Jiggleit who won the major honor at Canada's 28th Black Tie event, its' 2016 O'Brien Awards-Dinner in Mississauga, Ont., whose theme was the 250th Anniversary of Horse Racing in Canada."

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Throughout the year, Teague continued as unofficial ambassador of harness racing. Teague, who was bestowed the sport's second highest honor, 'The Proximity Award. On March 25, helped honor last year's Nova Scotia racing industry stars. The sport's distinguished horseman served as the special guest speaker for the Truro Harness Horse Owners Association's annual banquet and awards gala honoring some of the best from the province's 2016 racing season.

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On unusually mild Spring-like late February 23, Yannick Gingras rang up five winners on a card boasting a 1:49, 1:49.1, 1:50, 150.2 and two150.4 miles. .Gingras won the $30,000 Preferred, with Take It Back Terry in 1:50.4 after Gingras' 1:50 performance winning the $27,500 Delaware Special with the resurgent Emeritus Maximus.

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Feb. 22 was another five-win card for Corey Callahan topped by a 1:52.2 victory driving Tough Mac equaling his lifetime record in the $20,000 Mares Open Handicap.Trainer Dylan Davis also had four wins, owner Mike Casalino tripled.

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Two giant payoffs came during the same week. Jan.30, John MacKinnon stormed from last to first at 98-1 odds. Then four days later (2/2/17), a $98.80 payoff when 48-1 shot Rock Me Henry, driven by Russell Foster, winner of the DSOA Horizon Award in January, ending Officer Blue Chip's five-race win streak.

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Team Teague had a big night on Feb.13 card. Montrell Teague led all drivers with four wins. Trainer Clyde Francis haltered three wins while owner George Teague had a double plus Brenda Teague owned and trained another of her nephew's winners. Montrell came right back the following night for a double.

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Robert Sampson, 74, was the oldest driver to win a race this season at the track when he drove Abogada to a wire-to-wire victory (3/15). Sampson has a win, a second and a third in his first 20 starts this season. It was the maiden victory for the four-year-old trotting mare, Abogada, who paid $61.60 for a $2 win ticket.

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There were at least three great returns on claiming horses during the meet. Emeritus Maximus was a $15,000 claim that became a multiple Preferred and Delaware Special winner while Gary Ewing claimed Star Messenger for $20,000 and Rangers Sureshot for $30,000. Both pacers moved up to top class events.

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When Star Messenger was claimed it broke up a longtime Jim King Stable relationship with another fast pacer Little Ben. Both were bred by former Dover Downs driver champion Luc Ouellette. The relationship ended when Star Messenger was claimed. Little Ben is still in the King Stable.

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On consecutive days, both Corey Callahan and Vince Copeland reached important milestones, notching their 5,000th wins respectively. Callahan's win came driving Mel Mara in 1:49.1 to win the $30,000 Preferred pace on Nov.14. Copeland guided Spirit Light in 1:55.2 to win a four-horse photo the next day.

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Two significant longtime Delaware horsemen passed away in late January. Dover Downs founder David Buckson, 96, an owner, trainer, driver in his distinguished career which included serving as Delaware Governor, Lieutenant. Governor, State Attorney General and Family Judge among his many credits. Also, Ty Case III, who fought a courageous lifelong battle. Case was a trainer and driver, who due to diabetes lost his vision and required dialysis. After a transplant his sight returned only to lose vision again. He suffered a quadruple heart bypass, and later six strokes plus a brain operation. After blindness, he became a switchboard operator at Dover Air Base. Case, wife Holly, and his companion dog were often at Dover Downs and Harrington enjoying the races

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Dover Downs' horseman Ken Wood, who journeys across the globe four time a year in his on-going personal crusade commuting to West Africa to provide water to the natives of the nations of Ghana and Tanzania. Wood's acclaimed humanitarian effort, 'Lifetime Wells For Ghana' drills to provides water to needy inhabitants who previously had to walk five miles to find water that was deemed unsafe. Wood usually makes a three-week round trip. Wood reports his on-going effort has totaled more than 2,000 wells drilled in Ghana and Tanzania. These wells serve more than 2-million West Africans who never had fresh water.

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Two Dover Downs regulars who raced at Rosecroft Raceway during the Fall season tied for the 2016 Leading Driver title, Roger Plante Jr. and Russell Foster had 52 wins each.

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Trainer Joe Hundertpfund reported good news about his five-year-old granddaughter, Layla Mosley. After spend time in several hospital, the youngster is making positive strides in her battle against cancer. The youngster, who has been generously supported by horsemen contributions, has been courageously battling stage-four Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. 

DOVER DOWNS FIRST DRAW FOR OCT. 30 OPENING DAY ON TUESDAY, OCT. 24

Here’s what’s happening at Dover Downs in preparation for its 49th season opening on Monday Oct. 30. Season opening entry draw is slated for Tuesday, Oct. 24. Daily condition sheet s are available on the track website:www.doverdowns.com

The first greatly revised condition sheet for the 2017-2018 season is now available on-line for the first two days of racing. Condition sheets and overnight sheets are available via Fax on Demand by calling 302-678-8507.

Note:  Starting Tuesday morning, Oct,24, the Race Office will accept entries from, 10 a.m. until 12 Noon sharp. There are no exceptions.

On all race days, the Race Office phone numbers are 302-857-3634 or 302-857-3635. To fax: dial 302-741-8986. The Race Office will accept entries from regular entries time, 10 a.m. until 12 Noon sharp.

A reminder for horsemen: per DHRC Rules, Horse must have a current Negative Coggins on file to enter. Fax to 302-857-3272.

The 60-day rule is in effect. Horses must show a clean charted line within 60 days, race day to race day.

Qualifying races will be held Wednesdays at 10 a.m. starting Oct. 25.

Qualifying time is 2:00 for pacers with 2:02 for trotters. (The exceptions) 2-year-olds get two seconds, 3-year-olds, one second.

Wins of less than $750 first money are not considered.

The scratch policy remains for horses scratching from post 8 will automatically assigned post 8 the next time they draw in-to-race.

The 2017-2018 racing schedule is Mondays through Thursdays, post time at 4:30 p.m. There is no live racing on Fridays and Saturdays.

Simulcasting of harness and thoroughbred racing and NFL three-game wagering are available daily from 12 Noon until 12 Midnight. There is no charge for parking and admission. Early reservations are suggested for the Winner’s Circle Restaurant and for those planning to stay at Dover Downs Hotel. Call 302-674-4600.

Marv Bachard