Next Flight is tough to beat on the front end and Jim Morand used that strategy to win the $17,000 male pace co-feature on Valentine's Day at Dover Downs. Coco Count made it three in a row in taking the $16,000 co-featured trot. Corey Callahan won five races again.Veteran Next Flight rushed off to the lead and set all the fractions in a 1:53 triumph in the $17,000 top pace. Jim Morand was at the controls for the Shotgun Scott-Lido Beach gelding who posted his first win of the year and 39th of his career for the Henry Faragallis, Jr. and III, Belle Bauman and trainer Del Cote. Next Flight has banked $574,620 lifetime. Race favorite The Midnight Owl N (Jon Roberts) closed with a rush to finish second. Jaccar N (Tony Morgan) was third.
Coco Count has improved in each of his last three starts, all wins, lowering his personal best clocking to 1:58 as Tony Morgan steered the victory in a $16,000 4- and 5-year-old trot. Perfect Man (Vic Kirby) was a strong second and Yarborough Hanover (Vince Copeland) took third money. Paul and trainer Colleen Chambers own the altered son of Broadway Hall-Serafina The Great, now undefeated in his three 2009 appearances.
Tacos Du Ruisseau came on strong to complete Callahan's second straight five-win night, getting up in the final strides for a 1:53.2 victory in an $11,500 male pace. Charles Bonuccelli, Arthur Feeney and trainer Nick Callahan own the Cam's Card Shark-Western Jeans 6-year-old. Cosmic Illusion N (Ross Wolfenden) was a nose back in second. Escapefromalcatraz (Morgan) and First Royal N (Vic Kirby) finished in a dead heat for third. (Dover Downs)