‘Misty’ coasts to another DSBF prelim win

DOVER, Del. — Stephen Messick’s homebred Misty Coast (Powerful Mist-Cruisinthecoast) established herself as the filly to beat in next week’s $110,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund (DSBF) harness racing series final for 3-year-old pacing fillies with a 1:55.1 win in her $20,000 second-round preliminary division on Wednesday (Dec. 6) at Bally’s Dover.

Following a 1:53.1 score in the first round, Misty Coast and driver Art Stafford Jr. seized control from She Is Risen (driven by Corey Callahan) on the first turn before controlling splits of :28.1, :57.2 and 1:26.2. She widened her margin of clearance steadily through a :28.4 closing quarter, defeating She Is Risen by five lengths. Lulu Mist (Trae Porter) tracked the top pair throughout and lunged late to just miss the runner-up spot.

MISTY COAST REPLAY

Misty Coast, who has now won 14 races and earned $242,550 in her career, is trained by Les Givens. She paid $2.10 to win.

The second division saw Hold My Wine (Badlands Hanover-Step Lively) follow up a second-place finish to Misty Coast in the first round with a 1:55 victory of her own.

In line to Montrell Teague, the filly sat third behind dueling leaders Direct Mist (Ross Wolfenden) and No Gel Nikki (Pat Berry) through a :27.2 quarter before brushing to the fore with just over a lap remaining. Hold My Wine traveled uncontested through middle splits of :56.4 and 1:25.4 before pulling away from her rivals in the final three-sixteenths. Kims Secret Search (Tim Tetrick) sustained a first-over bid through the final half mile to finish second, 10-1/4 lengths in arrears; Mavericks Missy (Russell Foster) followed live cover and finished third.

Hold My Wine, who has won seven races and earned $83,513 as a homebred for George & Tina Dennis Racing, is trained by Joe Columbo. She paid $2.10 to win.

HOLD MY WINE REPLAY

In addition to Misty Coast and Hold My Wine, the following fillies have qualified for the $110,000 series final, scheduled for next Wednesday (Dec. 13): Chatty Kathleen, Lulu Mist, She Is Risen, Kims Secret Search, No Gel Nikki and Mavericks Missy.

DSBF preliminary action at Bally’s Dover concludes Thursday (Dec. 7) with two $20,000 second-round divisions for 3-year-old male pacers kicking off a 15-race program. First post is 4:30 p.m. (EST).

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

From the Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund