Dover, DE — Designs On You ($6.60) claimed the spotlight in Wednesday’s (Nov. 8) first-round preliminary action of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund (DSBF) series for 2-year-old pacing fillies with a 1:57 win in the second of three $20,000 divisions.
With 1-5 favorite Bella’s Dream last in the five-horse field due to an early break, Allan Davis settled the Badlands Hanover-Coco Chanel filly in third behind the pacesetting duo of Amelia Maximus (driven by Ceba Horsey) and Nova’s Baby Girl (Eddie Davis) through splits of :29.3 and :58.4 before floating off the pegs up the backstretch to stalk a :28.3 third-quarter duel. After Amelia Maxiumus dismissed of the outside challenge of Nova’s Baby Girl, Designs On You advanced uncovered in the two-path to collar Amelia Maximus with a sixteenth to go and widened her winning margin to 1-3/4 lengths. Amelia Maximus narrowly held second over Bella’s Dream (Tony Morgan), who rallied belatedly for third after her early miscue.
Eddie Dennis trains Designs On You, a two-time winner with $27,364 in career earnings, for Rodney Wyatt, Kevin Peck and Gerald Burbage.
The first division saw Curtsyforpurrseco and Tim Tetrick sustain a first-over attack out of third on pacesetter Jett Propelled (Art Stafford Jr.) through the final three-eighths of a 1:57.2 mile and win by a half length. Bad Nella Monella (Ross Wolfenden) finished third off a pocket trip.
Jim King Jr. trains the victorious daughter of Roddy’s Bags Again-Purrfectly Bad, who has won four times and earned $39,771 for Jo Ann Looney-King.
In the final division, Smalltown Bad Girl ($31.40) and Victor Kirby rolled to a 14-1 upset, passing all five of their rivals for a 1:58 score. The daughter of Badlands Hanover-Hawthorne Hudson sat last as 2-1 favorite Classic Diamond (Corey Callahan) strolled through the first three-quarters in 1:28.2. With three-sixteenths to go, Kirby swung Smalltown Bad Girl off the pegs, and the pair swept four-wide through the stretch to nab the late-emerging American Marvel (George Dennis) in the final 40 yards and win by three-quarters of a length. Makemymommaproud (Eric Davis) lifted up the open stretch out of a failing pocket to save third.
Trainer Dylan Davis owns Smalltown Bad Girl, who broke her maiden with the victory, in partnership with Kevin Switzer.
The second preliminary round of the DSBF series for 2-year-olds commences Thursday (Nov. 9) with three $20,000 events for male pacers kicking off a 15-race card at Bally’s Dover that also features the Matron Stakes for 3-year-olds. First post is 4:30 p.m. EST.