Backstreet Shadow is best in $50,000 Pace

Backstreet Shadow once again showed his dominance at Dover Downs, scoring his fourth straight victory at the Delaware harness racing track on Thursday evening, this time wiring the field in the $50,000 Invitational Handicap Pace and setting a track record in the process..

With driver Tim Tetrick handling the lines, Backstreet Shadow left from the far outside eight post and was parked out to the opening quarter mile in :26.2 by Jesse Duke N (George Napolitano, Jr.)

Backstreet Shadow, once on the lead, cut the mile to the half mile in :54.3, then the three-quarters in 1:21.1. Bettor Memories (Andy McCarthy) came first-over and was in second as they started down the stretch before tiring on the final turn as Tetrick let the five-year-old Shadow Play gelding have his head. Backstreet Shadow kicked in a :27 last quarter mile to win by two open lengths in 1:48.1, shaving one fifth of a second from the prior record for aged pacing geldings. 

Jesse Duke N, despite running in the stretch after tiring, held for second place with Shnitzledosomethin (Corey Callahan) third.

Trained by Ron Burke and co-owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Lawrence Karr and J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby, Backstreet Shadow has the four straight wins out of five starts this year. He paid $3.20 to win.

Sicily upsets in the $32,500 Blue Hen Open Handicap pace.

At the start of the race, three horses left for early race position. Sicily took the lead. Blazing Bobby Sox held rail position in 2nd.  Slick Tony and George Napolitano Jr., the race favorite, dropped in third. Wiggle It Jiggleit and driver Montrell Teague dived in behind Slick Tony in fourth. 

Teague was hoping to get a 2nd over trip behind Tony and that strategy became a reality past the half.

Sicily cut fractions of 26.1 55.2 1:23.  The third quarter was paced in 27.3

Turning for home, Wiggle It Jiggleit fanned three wide in the lane as Slick Tony weakened.  Wiggle It Jiggleit's bid stalled. Sicily powered home and won by three quarters of a length in 1:50.3.

He was sent off at odds of 6-1.

Sicily is by Art Major, and is owned by Legacy Racing of Delaware Inc. and Reginald Hazzard II.  Victor Kirby drove the winner for trainer Wayne Givens.

Proper One,  who was last at the top of the stretch, circled the pack to finish 2nd for driver Andrew McCarthy and trainer Carlo Poliseno. Wiggle It Jiggleit finished 3rd for trainer Clyde Francis. 

By Steve Wolf, for Harnesslink (with files from Dover Downs)