Misty Coast wins DSBF pacing filly prelim

DOVER, Del. — Two-time Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund (DSBF) series champion Misty Coast (Powerful Mist-Cruisinthecoast) began her quest for a First State hat trick with a commanding 1:53.1 win in her $20,000 first-round preliminary harness racing event for 3-year-old pacing fillies on Wednesday (Nov. 29) at Bally’s Dover.

Art Stafford Jr. kept the filly reserved in fourth as Hold My Wine (driven by Montrell Teague) worked to clear 66-1 outsider She Is Risen (Corey Callahan) for the lead just past a :27.3 first quarter. Misty Coast began her ascent out of midfield with nine-sixteenths to go, advancing uncovered as Hold My Wine controlled a :57.2 half and forging to the lead with three-eighths to go. Midway up the backstretch, Misty Coast sped clear of Hold My Wine, and she immediately gained two lengths of clearance at three-quarters in 1:25.1 before using a :28 final split to equal her lifetime mark and defeat Hold My Wine by 2-3/4 lengths. She Is Risen finished third, 8-3/4 lengths farther behind.

MISTY COAST REPLAY

Les Givens trains the Stephen Messick homebred, who now has won 13 times and earned $232,550 in her career. She paid $2.10 to win.

The second division saw Stafford and Chatty Kathleen (Roddy’s Bags Again-Chatty Kathy, $26.60) mount a grandstand-side rally to finish just short of 8-5 favorite Lulu Miss but ultimately be elevated to victory after being deprived of her lane in deep stretch.

Lulu Mist (Trae Porter) launched her first-over attack from third as early pacesetter Spoiled Rotn Girl (Allan Davis) rated a :59 first half and dueled into the lead past three-quarters in 1:27.4. Meanwhile, Chatty Kathleen stalked the top flight from third-over before Stafford angled her three-wide into the final turn. Lulu Mist drew two lengths clear just inside the eighth pole and had ample pace to evade Chatty Kathleen’s late charge by a head in 1:57.2, but she drifted into her rival’s path and was disqualified to second. No Gel Nikki (Pat Berry), who rode the pocket throughout the mile, finished third, 2-1/2 lengths behind.

Dorothy Ann Conner owns and trains Chatty Kathleen, a filly who has won three times and earned $63,117 in her career.

CHATTY KATHLEEN REPLAY

Sophomore male pacers will square off in a pair of $20,000 first-round DSBF series divisions to begin Thursday’s (Nov. 30) 15-race card at Bally’s Dover. First post is 4:30 p.m. (EST).

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

From the Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund