Use Your Noodle won the fastest of three $20,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) second-leg, two-year-old filly pace prelims on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at Dover Downs.
Jim Morand left quickly with Use Your Noodle for trainer Les Givens and owners Henry Faragalli III, Art Feeney, Trevor Johnson and Nanticoke Racing. They led the rest of the 1:54.1 mile while holding off a late charge at the wire. Mortgage Bags (Eddie Dennis) closed strongly from the far outside turning down the lane to shade Fiftyshadesofrusty (George Dennis) by a long nose. The Artzina-LoGophobia filly posted her third win of the year to go along with six seconds in 10 starts. She has banked $45,761 in her rookie campaign.
Apple Bottom Jeans, winner of the Harrington $100,000 DSBF Final, won for the third straight time and fourth in five races with Montrell Teague orchestrating a wire-to-wire 1:55.4 triumph in her $20,000 prelim. The black filly by Mr Apples out of Scylla Hanover now has $85,000 in the bank for her owner/trainer Kevin Switzer. Eternal Ring (Jonathan Roberts) saw her two-win streak come to a close with a second-place finish. Cougar Creek (Vic Kirby) closed strongly to take third.
Rowdy Patti won the third prelim, also in 1:55.4, for trainer/driver Bryan Truitt and owners Roland Hall and Bryan Truitt Jr. The Roddys Bags Again-Winbak Patty filly retook the lead from the favourite and eventual third-place finisher, Seboomook Uptown (Allan Davis), and scored her second win out of six starts by two lengths over runner-up Delle Donne (Ross Wolfenden). Her earnings climbed to $34,111.
The stage is now set for next Wednesday, when the top eight point-earners return for the $100,000 DSBF Final.
The $20,000 Open Handicap Trot was all Tough Mac, driven by Corey Callahan. The altered son of Lockkeeper-Traditional Lady won for the 10th time this campaign for trainer Dylan Davis and owner Mike Casalino. He has now earned $120,255 in purses this year and $250,592 lifetime. Prayer Session (Roberts), in new hands after being claimed for $25,000 a week ago, challenged Tough Mac on the outside heading to the final turn, but had to settle for second, finishing over five lengths behind. Last week’s winner, Spunky Jack (Roger Plante), was third. Tough Mac's 1:52.3 winning time equalled his lifetime mark that he established two starts ago at Dover.